BREAKING: After 70 years, Des Moines business Furney’s Nursery is closing

After 70 years in business in Des Moines, Furney’s Nursery announced on Monday, April 24 that it will be closing at the end of May.

Staff from the historic nursery, located at 21215 Pacific Highway South, announced the closing on Facebook.

“It is with heavy hearts that we must announce that Furney’s Nursery will be closing its doors at the end of May,” they said in a statement. “This includes both the wholesale and retail divisions. We are saddened to have come to the end of an era, but we will look back at our 70+ years of business with great pride!”

Furney’s has a deep and storied history in the Pacific Northwest that dates back to 1901, when Everett Furney was born. In 1929, Everett and his wife, Edith moved from Seattle to Des Moines to start an orchard stand by the side of old Pacific Highway. Back then, Pacific Highway was just a dirt road, not the bustling commercial corridor that it is today. In fact, the Furney family orchard was pretty much surrounded by trees! Edith Furney was an avid gardener, and she kept a beautiful garden at their house by the side of the road. The customers at their orchard stand loved her garden so much that they started asking Edith to find plants for their own gardens. Before long, they were selling more plants than fruit, and Furney’s Nursery was officially born in 1946.

Furney’s Nursery grew quickly and became South King County’s most beloved nursery. Furney’s Nursery was so successful that, for a time, two satellite nurseries were opened in Bellevue and Bremerton. The Furneys also purchased 150 acres of farmland in Oregon to help supply the nursery with plants. Eventually, Edith and Everett turned over the reins of their nursery to their son, Robert, who remains the owner and president to this day.

Furney’s Nursery has left an impact on this region that will live on long after the nursery closes its doors for the final time. Over the years, gardeners and landscapers have planted millions of our plants in landscapes all over the Pacific Northwest. Many of those plants are still happily growing in gardens and landscapes today. In fact, many of the trees we have sold over the years will still be around 100 years from now!

“We would like to thank you for growing with us all these years,” they added. “We hope we have inspired you to continue planting! After all, the world could use a little more green!”