Summer events abound for WGI members to meet new water garden friends -- in person.

WGI-recommended opportunities can make this happen for you. I eagerly anticipate meeting new and old friends in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There I am giving a Truly Named presentation during Pondapalooza (July 28-August 3, for the trade only). Visit the WGI booth, too.

In southern Florida a huge event takes place July 19-23 -- the International Waterlily and Water Garden Society annual symposium. It includes a memorable visit to Kit and Ben Knotts' remarkable water garden Paradise and other fascinating places. Here you have an extraordinary opportunity to meet them and other notables you have heard of, but perhaps not met. Put live faces to names you see on the twin WGI/V-A sites.

September 7-18 you have a rare occasion to join fellow WGI members for an exciting once-in-a-lifetime visit to explore Claude Monet's garden at Giverny and Latour-Marliac Etablissements Botaniques in the southern French village of Temple sur Lot. Latour-Marliac's waterlily hybrids remain among the most popular varieties grown in water gardens around the world. Of course, you will see Versailles, Paris, and much more while making new and interesting friends (including your editor who leads the tour). Click here for a preview.

When making your summer travel plans, review our global Botanic Garden Directory and Events Calendar (mainly USA) for water garden happenings to enjoy. These kinds of activities join us together, provide common experiences, and help to make friendships.

The twin WGI/V-A sites receive well over one million hits monthly! Significantly, Truly Named certification-related pages lead all areas in the WGI site. Journal, Fish for Your Pond (surprise?), and Events Calendar rank next highest on our site.

On May 3 we announced the release of Rich Sacher's new book "Hybridizing Waterlilies: State of the Art" published by the International Waterlily and Water Garden Society. You might want to try hybridizing this summer. WGI members Lou Belloisy, Kit Knotts, Christian Meyer, Craig Presnell, Andreas Protopapas, Sean Stevens, and Dr. Slearmlarp Wasuwat contributed to the treatise. WGI strongly favors naming only hybrid seedlings that display distinctive features clearly different from existing named cultivars.

Rich is also making water garden news as he coordinates the exclusive Charles Winch Collection being displayed this summer at the New Orleans Botanical Garden.

Congratulations and thank you go to Founding and Charter Members who respond magnificently to WGI activities. Your participation drives the Truly Named program (member-voted most important activity). The success of Truly Named depends upon buyers like you insisting on correctly named waterlilies. Responsible publications including Ponds Magazine, Water Garden News and Pondkeeper support Truly Named with favorable articles.

In other areas, your participation expands our Club Directory with more organizations, increases the Events Calendar with exciting happenings, and grows the Botanic Garden Directory with additional sites around the world. You also enlist Charter Members -- individual, club, botanic garden, and commercial. Remember, they become Charter Members when joining by the May 20, 2006, deadline.

Moreover, you suggest and write invigorating site articles. WGI Journal Online readers love learning about successful fresh approaches to old problems, heady personal experiences, and stimulating places to explore. Stirring articles about waterlily history, hints and "secrets" of successful water gardening, and inspiring biographies rouse interest in our hobby. Please tell me if you know a water garden-related story to share in our Journal. Send it in polished form, or send it for us to polish.

Please continue your active participation. And remember, your summer travel and vacation plans involving water gardens may produce fascinating, lasting new friends.

C.B.T. info@watergardenersinternational.org