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EESTI ELU reedel, 13. augustil 2021 — Friday, August 13, 2021
Madis Jürima: the Horticulturist who cultivates trees and interpersonal connections Vincent Teetsov
an instance of fate. After coming to Estonia to What does one single tree or see the property in person, he plant mean in a country with sat in Luua Manor park and 2.2 million hectares of forested pondered the possibilities ahead. land? When you’re working Jürima says, “I always had the on the level of Estonian-Cana secret desire to have a business dian horticulturist Madis of my own because I’d always Jürima, you’ll find that each been in the public sector.” He one develops its own legacy; had done landscaping on his an association with places own, but wanted to see if he they’ve been planted and the could make it in the business people who chose them. Each world. specimen is also associated The issue was, if he were to with Jürima’s incredible back start a business in Canada, land story. would be very expensive. Jürima was born and raised Starting a nursery, he notes, in Canada, gaining an education “[is] a long term investment. in ornamental horticulture. He It’s necessary to plant some attained nearly 20 years of thing and grow it before it can work experience at Black Creek be sold. One has to have a lot Pioneer Village, Hamilton’s of financial resources to pay the Royal Botanical Gardens, and mortgage or rent until you can the Arboretum of the University actually start getting any profit.” of Guelph, before things went “I didn’t think I’d ever go in an unexpected direction lead anywhere colder than Canada,” ing up to his 40th birthday. he jokes. Yet, in Estonia, he The way he frames it, when could get at least the first por Mike Harris was Premier of tion of land he needed free of Ontario, cutbacks to the public charge. There was the added sector caused Jürima’s boss to benefit of a low cost of labour – retire early. Despite this, he about $1 an hour at the time in ended up not gaining the vacated Estonia. In retrospect, he be position; instead receiving more lieves that his plan would have work for the same level of pay. been more difficult to achieve To rise any further would elsewhere because those mar require a PhD, which he was kets, like in the US, were unwilling to pursue, after already full. already seven years of post- Jürima had experience in secondary study. Jürima was growing trees, but becoming an looking for a change. entrepreneur was like diving This is when an offer came into the deep end of a pool. in from his elderly uncle, to Still, with the return of private take over two thirds of a 15 property in Estonia, and with hectare manor estate (two thirds people starting to build new of the manor park was given houses, he saw an opening in back along with 62 more the market for trees. He was hectares of land, including the confident that he had something land where the nursery is fresh to offer compared to the situated) in Luua, Jõgeva small existing nurseries. County. This was land that was In 1998, he started working given as recognition of Jürima’s as a self-employed landscape granduncle’s bravery during the designer/landscaper. Within three Estonian War of Independence. years, he registered the business His uncle decided that he was of Karukäpa Puukool OÜ too old to move back to (Karukäpa Nursery), located Estonia, and because he didn’t half an hour north of Tartu. have any children, he told Early on, Jürima was able to Jürima, “It’s yours if you want stand out from his competitors. it.” Though there is currently a He agrees that this offer was resurging interest in plants and
President Ilves planting one of Madis Jürima’s spruce trees with the Municipal Elder of Kasepää, 2007. Photo used with permission from Madis Jürima
trees that are native to Estonia, at first he focused on supplying exotic but durable varieties of trees, such as red maples, that were not previously available when the Soviet authorities restricted their importation. Comparatively speaking, the list of available trees at other nurseries was limited to varieties that could be found in the forest, like spruce, pine, and birch. Jürima applies techniques he had learned in Canada, such as the use of self-pruning, baggrown saplings. This technique is effective because the roots are left intact during planting. Trees are more compact and easy to handle during the plant ing process, and once the bag is removed, tree growth is extra potent. Early on, he channelled profits back into equipment, wanting to mechanize in order to increase the pace of growing. This has proved to be advanta geous now as the cost of labour has risen, and finding employ ees to take up the physically demanding, seasonal work is difficult. In fact, Jürima has only one year-round employee that remains throughout the frigid, long winters. In a country where everyone knows everyone, word-of-mouth was the most successful way of spreading the news about Karukäpa Puukool. His com mon-law wife helped him make contact with the biggest road construction company in Esto nia, to do planting along high ways. From there, Jürima met other people in the construction business. He held an open house and invited architects and municipal officials to see what his business was all about. Once potential buyers knew he had good quality products, magazine advertisements be came less important. Jürima says, “my current advertising budget is zero and has been for nearly 15 years.” These interpersonal links have created a long list of prominent clients for com memorative planting events. This includes every Estonian president from Lennart Meri to Kersti Kaljulaid; Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden; and Prince Edward, Earl of Essex. Just when Jürima thought he couldn’t exceed this, in 2018, Pope Francis made his official visit to Estonia, for whom an oak tree was required on short notice for a private tree-planting ceremony at the Convent of the Brigidine Sisters in Pirita. Within the grounds of Luua Manor, where Madis Jürima lives, is a cavalry house (A.K.A. “Piparkoogimaja” or “the gingerbread house”) that he has restored in addition to running the puukool. In the autumn of 2017, he was recognized by both the Muinsuskaitseamet (National Heritage Board) and President Kersti Kaljulaid for the faithful restoration of the cavalry house. Originally built in the late 1800s, he not only
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EFC Scholarship recipient
Heili Poolsaar Heili Poolsaar is an Estonian-Canadian university student who received a 2020 EFC Scholarship with funding from the new Martin & Heljo Mäeks Fund. After a childhood in the Toronto Estonian community including Estonian School, Girl Guides, attending Jõekääru and Kotkajärve, Heili feels very connected to her heritage. She is currently studying at Queen’s University, pursuing a B.Sc. in Life Sciences. On being Estonian Being Estonian means having a community of people with whom you can share the special connection of having the same culture with. I am proud to be Estonian and to be a part of a community that still celebrates our culture so far away from our little country. Being Estonian means being proud to be a part of our cul ture, language and country. It means carrying on traditions and speaking the language and supporting other Estonians. Even though Eesti is a small country, its impact is larger on myself, the community and the world than words can ever describe. On EFC The EFC is important to the community because it is one of the reasons our community can continue, as it provides valuable resources to do so. The amazing initiatives in the community such as summer camps, Estonian school, and events at the Estonian House are greatly supported by the EFC which helps these events continue for Estonians in Canada. The EFC connects us to Eesti by ensuring that we have an active community in Canada and by keeping tradi tions alive such as folk dancing, choirs, etc. Without the sup port from the EFC these incredible events would not be pos sible.
Are Estonian names…
The very first surnames, as reported to local authorities, may have been misheard and transcribed incorrectly if there was a language barrier between the person speaking and the official writing down the name. It’s also possible that the indi vidual reporting the name wasn’t literate and didn’t know how to write the name down, and so the public official got the gist and wrote it as well as
they could. Estonians have changed their names to adapt and get by. When Estonia first became in dependent in 1918, there was an early movement of Estonians who wanted to make their names sound more uniquely Estonian. Before this, officially changing your name was very difficult, as it required permission from the Tsar. By the mid 1930s, presi dent Konstantin Päts advocated for more Estonians to change their names. For example, one of the president’s ministers changed his name from Karl August Einbund to Kaarel Een palu. Names have significance. They’re not merely grunts or utterances without meaning. Apart from maybe exclama tions, all words are intrinsically about assigning meaning. What does your name mean to you?
made the interior liveable, but invested in restoring the exterior of the house: balconies, a terrace, a new roof, and various wooden details more typical of some houses in Switzerland. Bringing this family property back to life was a personal achievement but also of benefit to the community around Luua, as it’s an enchanting archi tectural landmark that draws visitors to the area. Despite all of these high-pro file experiences, he indicates simple moments as the most memorable part of his business. Such as when he’s able to work alone on sunny and mild spring
days at the nursery, while the song of a bird pierces the quiet ambiance. From a cultural standpoint, Jürima mentions how Estonians, as forest people, have found forests to be places of refuge and protection. He’s even heard of how some Estonians believe trees can have good or bad auras. Madis Jürima and his em ployees have grown trees that can be found across Estonia. One must assume, then, that these trees have been instilled with an aura of fortune, just like his remarkable undertaking in cultivating trees.
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names are translatable if they remained intact in one form for a long period of time, others require detective work to iden tify what the first meaning was. Estonian surnames have been known to change dramatically from their first iteration to what we use today. There are a num ber of reasons for this.
