Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
Flowers for Christmas?
Floral expert Marna Praill showed why flowers aren’t just for spring during her interactive classes for Christmas in November at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge (JPL).
Of course, she did focus on installing Christmas greens into a planter as well as how to make live garlands, tree tassels and wreaths.
“But people do still like to have centrepieces for their tables and plus I’ll talk about design,” she said.
“I like to show them how to do simple things, I like to show them how to do things on a budget but I also like to do ‘wow’ things too, because some people have bigger budgets.”
She explained how floral arrangements were all about the tools and containers being used.
Praill, who is also the grounds superintendent and head gardener, celebrated her 27th anniversary with JPL this past year.
Her career began in the kitchen and moved to the grounds department.
She spent four years as assistant superintendent before being promoted to superintendent.
A crowning achievement was creating flower arrangements for Queen Elizabeth II when she visited back in 2005.
“One of our managers at the hotel was her personal butler, and he did say that she really enjoyed them,” Praill said.
“I made them very bright colours, because you look at the outfits that she used to wear, all very bright.”
Praill has been a part of Christmas in November for over 23 years.
She decorates the Signature Cabins for the holiday season, brings in festive plants and flowers for the Main Lodge and oversees the decoration of the 20-foot Christmas trees in the Great Hall and Beauvert Dining Room.
Praill held her Christmas in November classes at the lodge’s year-round greenhouse, which she described as having a lot of history.
“The greenhouses were built in 1929, and the head gardener used to live on-site, because there were two 100-foot greenhouses that were run by steam, like our property was in the past,” she said.
“From 1929 to 1997, we grew all production in the greenhouses. We did poinsettias, we did Easter lilies, we grew all of our annuals, so anything for the hanging baskets and all the liners, all the flowers like that.”
In 1997, JPL decided to turn the greenhouses into a guest cabin but kept the tropical room and turned it into today’s greenhouse.
This ensures JPL is always flushed with greenery and floral arrangements.
Praill noted how they also grow microgreens year-round as well as herbs, edible flowers, tomatoes and peppers in the spring.
During the winter, the greenhouse holds the tropical plants in addition to succulents, which are popular for weddings.
“Jasper Park Lodge is just a really special place,” Praill added.
“I think it’s actually probably one of the most unique jobs that I’ve ever had but that people have, because not every Fairmont actually still has a grounds superintendent or a florist. A lot of that work is contracted out, so it’s really special to be able to do all that work in-house and be able to do it here.”
