Courtesy of Creative Alliance Manitou Springs
As part of a pilot program matching community volunteers to 24 pollinator-friendly planters, the Manitou Pollinators and Creative Alliance Manitou Springs (formerly the Creative District) are pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 Becker’s Lane Pollination Stations friendly competition.
That was among the 12 planters in the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) district, near the intersection of Manitou Avenue and Becker’s Lane.
Pollination Station planters beautify the Manitou Avenue streetscape through container gardening featuring sun-loving, drought-tolerant plants that provide excellent nutrition for pollinators like bees, butterflies, moths, and birds.
Members of the Manitou Pollinators designed the planters to offer food and shelter for pollinators even during the winter, which meant each volunteer had the opportunity to care for a Spartan Juniper surrounded by prairie winecups, firecracker penstemon, Turkish veronica and blanket flowers.
This year’s Becker’s Lane champions are Barb Winter and Alice Barnett of the Indian Oaks Gals. They had outstanding scores for plant health, data collection and style points on their station, No. 9.
The team also won “Best on Beckers” for the health and vigor of their Turkish veronica. Their planter demonstrated solid watering and they carried out consistent data collection about plant health and pollinator sightings. It also weathered an act of vandalism that cut off the top of the juniper.
Joan and Karl Stang, who were assisted during the late summer by Emily Sawyer, took second place for station No. 11. Their collective efforts delivered strong competition to the champions and won “Best on Beckers” for the health of their firecracker penstemon.
Judith Chandler, working on station No. 7 in honor of Lucia Eagleheart and Roanin Caro, won third place. Despite a vehicle hitting the planter earlier in the season, the tree is supple and healthy enough to weather both that accident and the extreme western winds of December.
The Spirit & Style Award goes to Keithley Pines Historic Cabins and station No. 4. Annie Schmitt and Douglass Edmundson wowed the judges with decorations for Halloween and the winter holidays. The planter is in good health overall and its beautiful glow made the sidewalk a more restful place to be once the sun set on Manitou Avenue.
Final judging took place on Winter Solstice, Dec. 21, with judges looking at plant health, data collection and style points for holiday decor. Plant health was the focus of the pilot program to establish the plants for the two to three years that they’re expected to survive in the cast iron planters.
The program is funded in part by Colorado Creative Industries and National Endowment for the Arts, in addition to the Manitou Springs Urban Renewal Authority, Manitou Springs Business Improvement District and the Manitou Art Center, with in-kind support from Rick’s Garden Center, Ace Hardware and j9 Glass Studio.
Information: manitouspringscd.org/pollinationstations.