Response to last month’s horrible earthquake in Haiti demonstrates the importance of global communications. Modern communications facilitate solving many problems there. In similar manner, the world wide web assists the sharing of information so important to water gardeners (though rarely, if ever, in life and death situations).

Living in 26 countries, an eminent team of 84 talented writers electronically provides compelling articles to keep you current on water garden information. They know that water garden news is of huge interest to the 2,374 WGI Online member-readers living in 78 diverse countries.

This 5.1 Journal issue reveals the value of a specific article to a prominent aquatic professional. When floating islands for Guilfoyle’s Volcano presented a problem to Jeremy Prentice (Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, Australia), he recalled Tamara Kilbane’s (Horticulturist, Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Durham, NC, USA) article referring to them. After consulting with Tamara he located and procured the necessary material in New Zealand.

As we begin our fifth year of Journal publication in partnership with Victoria-Adventure, let’s reflect on a few of the startling articles you’ve read thanks to the world wide web as your communications medium.

Pairat Songpanich’s (Thailand) “impossible” hybrid, Nymphaea 'Siam Blue Hardy', The World's First Blue Hardy Waterlily amazed readers as it graced the cover of issue 3.2.

Astonishing news about The World's First Hybrid between Day Bloomer and Night Bloomer Nymphaea 'Kew's Electric Indigo' in issue 4.1 stunned the waterlily world. Carlos Magdalena, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom, reported his successful crossing of Nymphaea 'Barre Hellquist' (subgenus Anecphya - day blooming) x N. lotus (subgenus Lotos - night blooming).

In issue 2.2, Kevin Kenny, Executive Manager, Angostura Resort & Property Development, Tobago, documents the enormous Samaan Grove Wetland System project. It serves as an outstanding example of a beneficial transformation of the landscape. “Eventually our internet searches turned up the Victoria-Adventure web site and we were able to source seeds from Kit and Ben Knotts in Cocoa Beach, Florida [USA]. Kit took the time to teach us how to propagate this wonderful species and we have been friends ever since,” Kevin explains in his article.

Issue 3.1 features The Aquaparque in Mérida, Yucatán, México. It’s the first public park in México dedicated to water plants. In his remarkable article, Director Fernando Molina, O.M., writes, “At my request, WGI Executive Director Kit Knotts made a first list of the waterlilies she considered we should have in the park. In October 2006 my friend Porfirio Suárez and I traveled to Florida to select the waterlilies for the Aquaparque. Shortly after that, Craig Presnell of Luster Aquatic Nursery [USA] sent us a shipment of selected lilies, and Kathy Hanes of Florida Aquatic Nurseries [USA] sent us another one.”

A special partnership with Li Shu-Juan, Xi'an Botanical Garden, China, revealed the most extensive galleries of Nelumbo cultivars yet seen in issue 2.4. Ana Veler brought us the fascinating story of Nymphaea lotus thermalis from Romania in issue 3.4, with more to come. And who can forget the astoundingly large Victorias featured in our very first issue 1.1, from Tonchi Ribero and Chiqui Arroyo in Bolivia?

Daniel Flouret of Argentina makes our global communications easier for countless readers translating WGI Online Journal articles. Every article in issue 4.4 has been translated to Spanish, with a Spanish Table of Contents. We hope to offer this issue entirely in Spanish as well.

Every issue is packed full of stimulating articles, many telling of amazing water gardening advances from around the planet. WGI’s global reach harnesses modern communications to keep you and fellow members aware of the latest water garden developments wherever you are.

C.B.T. info@watergardenersinternational.org