Learn dahl-ia need to know about flowers
Get yourself a STEM education at Tillamook’s Dahlia Festival
Story & photos by Chelsea Yarnell
For the TODAY
Mark Harvey is an Oregon flower-farming legend.
While living in Portland, he grew dahlias on a plot of land in the middle of downtown.
“I would drive the tractor all the way down there with a disc on the back over the Ross Island Bridge,” he said. “If I really wanted to make a scene, I’d go up the Hawthorne Bridge. People would notice that.”
Eighteen years later, flower lovers can visit Harvey at his farm, Old House Dahlias, in Tillamook during the annual Dahlia Festival, where visitors can see multiple varieties in bloom. This year, the festival will be held over two weekends: Saturday, Aug. 31 and Sunday, Sept. 1 and Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 7 and 8.
“People can visit the display garden or walk the farm,” Harvey said. “They can purchase fresh-cut dahlias and sunflowers.”
A stroll around the farm showcases a beautiful display of the more than 200 varieties that Old House Dahlias cultivates. Novelty, stellar, pom-pon, cactus, ball and anemone just to name a few.
Even more extraordinary is that Harvey started with only four varieties.
“I was working for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and living in Portland,” he said. “I had just gotten into house plants. Then, a hatchery manager gave me three dahlia plants. I planted them and they were really cool. I went to a dahlia festival and bought a few more. I thought they were really amazing.”
Harvey ended up filling his entire backyard with dahlia tubers.
“I built a type of reputation,” he said. “Then, I started looking to buy some farmland.”
In 2015, he moved his business to the coast after finding the perfect combination: land with an “old house.” His bright orange or red vintage truck makes him recognizable in town while out on deliveries.
Fresh cut flowers will be available for sale during the festival at $12 a bundle. Potted dahlia plants will also be for sale for $25 each.
Can’t make it to the festival? Harvey stocks the farm stand with fresh cut flowers through November.
Every weekend in October, Old House Dahlias reopens to the public as a pumpkin patch. This season, Harvey planted eight varieties of pumpkins.
“Like, the really big ones,” he said.
The farm will be open from 10 am to 5 pm each day of the festival. Old House Dahlias is located at 11600 S Hwy. 101 in Tillamook. For a full list of dahlia varieties, as well as updates on the farm, go to oldhousedahlias.com.