WGI December Update

The current issue of WGI Online is here -- http://www.watergardenersinternational.org/journal/4-4/cover.html. In it you'll find articles about Victoria, tiny waterlilies, big waterlilies, lotuses, how-tos, koi, botanic gardens, greening projects and more. Don't miss any of them!

Calling all waterlily hybridizers! The deadline for having your creations included in the print version of the 2009 Supplement to the WGI Registry is December 20. Print publication establishes your selected names for all time -- the Supplement will be available in January. In the meantime, see the new cultivars on line here -- http://www.watergardenersinternational.org/checklist/new_09_1.html
More will be added as received.

Water gardening has suffered a great loss in the death of Australian botanist Surrey Jacobs. Read about him here -- http://www.watergardenersinternational.org/news/2009_surrey/page1.html

Over on Victoria-Adventure, Rich Sacher treats us to a photo tour of Nelson Water Gardens in Katy, Texas USA. Very soon, look for several very interesting new profiles. Links are, and will be, here --
http://www.victoria-adventure.org/recent_additions.html

K
Kit Knotts
Executive Director

WGI November Update

The new issue of WGI Online is ready here -- http://www.watergardenersinternational.org/journal/4-4/cover.html

We kick off with stunning white (with brilliant deep red accents) Victoria amazonicas and some 2009 Victoria photos from around the world. Don’t miss the image of the photo opportunity offered at the Rotterdam Zoo!

The tiniest waterlily on earth doesn’t grow in water! Carlos Magdalena gives us an in depth look at Nymphaea thermarum, including how he learned to grow it and what he sees in its future.

Carlos also shares a number of species and hybrids new to RBG Kew in 2009. Among them are possible new Australian species and several intersubgeneric hybrids. He teams with David Smith for images of Kew’s waterlily displays promised in our last issue.

If you’d like a beautifully illustrated tutorial on hybridizing hardy waterlilies, with some spectacular results, Pairat Songpanich provides it.

Pam Spidola features Utsurimono, which she calls living works or art, in the fourth in her series about Koi varieties.

Dan Schreiber is in love with lotus and shows us in a gallery of his favorite photos of them. Rich Sacher discusses the do’s and don’t of dividing and sharing aquatic plants and Craig Presnell captures a remarkable series of caterpillar-to-butterfly images.

There’s a sick pond in Texas USA that needs help. Steve Stroupe draws on the expertise of Victoria-Adventure’s world-wide email discussion list to try to solve the mystery. You too can be an aquatic plant CSI!

KK Agrawal relates the tragic loss of Nelumbo habitat in India, illustrated with his always compelling photographs. On the green side, Kathy Biggs gives us the first of three articles about creating wildlife ponds, Dave Brigante participates in the installation of inventive floating islands at The Oregon Garden, and Jorge Monteverde updates the Ramsar list of protected wetlands with some very interesting observations.

Whatever your particular area of interest in water gardening, you’ll find something in this issue just for you. Let us know what you like the best!

K
Kit Knotts
Executive Director

WGI August Update

Links to the new WGI ONLINE are open --
http://www.watergardenersinternational.org/journal/4-3/kew_cover_lab.html

In this issue we celebrate legendary gardens with three covers and three cover stories. You can click between the covers via the thumbnails found on each one. The photos are so iconic that we simply couldn't choose one over another.

On the occasion of its 250th Anniversary, Carlos Magdalena gives us a tour of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, highlighting its water features.

Missouri Botanical Garden celebrates 150 years and Craig Presnell treats us to a photographic tour with a little of the Garden's history thrown in.

Renowned photographer and author Derek Fell reveals the design philosophy behind Monet's Garden, accompanied by his incomparable images from Giverny.

Is it space age art? Pat Clifford provides a fabulous series of scanning electron microscopy of several aquatic plants at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Only two tropical waterlilies are viviparous from the flowers and, until now, we have only had a few images of them. Craig Presnell gives us an in depth look at the bizarre viviparity of Nymphaea prolifera.

Always a pleasure, koi expert Pam Spindola continues her series on koi varieties -- this issue her personal favorite, showa. And goldfish guru Peter Ponzio defines and beautifully illustrates their varieties.

We were interested to know how the impressive Auburn Lotus Project got its start and we find out in Passionate Plant Unite with a Common Vision. In partnership with AU, Ten Mile Creek Nursery conducts the Great Lotus Experiment -- can you force lotus to bloom for a spring market. See if and how!

Primlarp Wasuwat Chukiatman reviews the waterlily in Thailand from its early history to the present with wonderful photos, some of cultivars we haven't seen before.

Want to try a sustained release fertilizer on your waterlilies? Steve Stroupe relates his experiences.

Dave Brigante reports the results of experiments to see if hardy ferns survive and thrive in the pond -- some do quite well!

Adding to articles devoted to our Green Initiative, Joe Tomocik tells us how golf is going green in Colorado and Charles Leach presents Boltonia decurrens (false aster) as a native alternative to invasive plants.

Rounding out the issue Rich Sacher poses the waterlily dilemma. Do you want a day bloomer, a night bloomer, both? He gives tips for deciding as well as ways to make the most of your pond space.

Don't miss a single article or image! Here's the link again --
http://www.watergardenersinternational.org/journal/4-3/mbg_cover.html

K
Kit Knotts
Executive Director

WGI July Update

Here in the northern hemisphere, summer is in full swing for most of us (in spite of the strange weather affecting some)! This is the time for you to take lots of pictures of your ponds and plants to share with the rest of us. Your story, or the story of your botanical garden or club, is of interest to us for publication on either the WGI or Victoria-Adventure web sites. This is also the time to begin to evaluate your new cultivars for registration!

The current issue of WGI ONLINE is still your virtual vacation spot. Fabulous locations and information! This and past issues may inspire to send us your own article.

As many of us are expanding our collections of water plants, over on Victoria-Adventure Rich Sacher cautions Buyer Beware!

Benno Wang tells us of another long-lived Victoria.

Over the years, many people have wondered which varieties of lotus are suitable for eating (seeds and roots) and now we have a list for you!
http://www.victoria-adventure.org/lotus/seed_vegetable_varieties.html
We welcome additions and corrections to the list.

K
Kit Knotts
Executive Director

WGI June Update

If a vacation is on the back burner for you this year, you can always try a vicarious virtual one via the pages of WGI ONLINE! The current issue takes you to China, Tibet, Morocco, Australia. Past issues feature some of the world's most exotic destinations written and photographed by our sensational contributors. This has prompted us to create the new Index to Journal Articles by Author.

Over on Victoria-Adventure, we have the charming story of Guillermo Angulo's Love Affair with Victoria, complete with new galleries of his stunning images of his Colombian garden "Tegualda".

A major update of the Checklist of Lotus Names is underway. Thanks to Li Shu-Juan, Xi'an Botanical Garden in China, we are now able to add full information from what has proved to be the baseline publication of Chnese Nelumbo cultivars, Lotus of China, Ni Xueming 1987. Look for more uploads in the next few days.

When we founded WGI and WGI Online, before Philip Swindells was willing to come on board as a contributor, he asked if we planned to be truly international in our scope. We were, he did, and we think he would be proud that we encompass so many wonderful people, places and plants from around the world. Your story is welcome!

K
Kit Knotts
Executive Director

WGI May Update

Links are open to WGI ONLINE Journal Volume 4, Number 2!

Do we have a treat for you! Canadian artist Janice Mason Steeves travels to some of the world's most exotic places in search of inspiration for her paintings. We water gardeners are very fortunate that her most recent series of paintings are of lotuses and waterlilies! See them in our cover "cluster" of stories. Not only a fabulous painter, Jan is also an outstanding photographer and story-teller. Follow her globe-trotting exploits.

Jorge Monteverde gives us an in-depth look at the origins of viviparism in waterlilies. His research is very thorough and you can read this article in English or Spanish, thanks to Fernando Molina.

We have a trifecta of fish stories! Koi expert Pam Spindola reports the 2009 AKCA Pond Tour with wonderful pix. Goldfish expert Peter Ponzio explains Finnage in Goldfish. And if koi, goldfish and "damnbusias" aren't for you, tropical fish expert Ted Coletti offers lots of other choices for your pond.

Is lotus an ornamental plant or a vegetable? Learn the answer in an article by Auburn University's Warner Orozco, Ken Tilt and Bernice Fischman.

Dragonflies are far more than "jewelry" for your pond! Wildlife ponder, dragonfly expert and author Kathy Biggs tells us why.

What affects the colors of waterlilies? Read Rich Sacher's analysis of the many factors.

Craig Presnell is always on the lookout for unusual and interesting marginal plants and brings us three new ones.

We wrap up the issue with Three Blokes, Three States and a Foolhardy Bet by Jeremy Prentice, RBG Melbounre, Australia. You'll have to read it to learn what Victoria and beer have in common :>)

Look for several new profiles in the 4.2 Table of Contents or by way of Victoria-Adventure's Recent Additions.

As always, we invite your suggestions for topics, articles and ways WGI can serve you better!

K
Kit Knotts
Executive Director

WGI April Update

An exciting new issue of WGI Online is in the works but be sure to read every article in WGI ONLINE Journal Volume 4, Number 1

Let us remind you that we have an Archive of past issues and an Index to all articles by subject.

Last month we sent a special request for members to help save a Dutch botanical garden. If you missed it and would like to participate, read it here.

Those of us who wrote have received a response indicating that the final decision has not been made, so there is still time to have your voice heard..

Send us your articles and suggestions!

K
Kit Knotts
Executive Director

WGI March Update sent to members March 10, 2009

The cover story WGI ONLINE Journal Volume 4, Number 1 , Nymphaea 'Kew's Electric Indigo', the world's first hybrid between day and night blooming waterlilies, created by Carlos Magdalena at the Royal Botanic Gardens, is generating lots of buzz worldwide!

If you missed this or any of the other superb articles in the issue, catch up now!

The Oregon Garden, cover story of our very first issue (open to the public for sampling of our terrific Journal), has a very exciting event coming up. "Soak It Up: Phytotechnology Solutions for Water Challenges" takes place March 30, 31, and April 1, 2009, in Silverton, Oregon USA.
http://www.sproutoregon.org/events/soak-it-phytotechnology-solutions-water-challenges
The conference will be reported in our next issue but, if you are anywhere in the vicinity, please try to attend! Take pictures and let us know what you learned! This is cutting edge greening.

Over on Victoria-Adventure, we have put up our personal 2008 Adventure with Victoria, Year of the Hare. As in most years it was good, bad, and different.

We invite your contributions and suggestions for serving you better!

K
Kit Knotts
Executive Director

WGI Febuary Update sent to members February 10, 2009

WGI ONLINE Journal Volume 4, Number 1 goes live right now and it's probably our most exciting issue ever!

The cover story is Nymphaea 'Kew's Electric Indigo', the world's first hybrid between day and night blooming waterlilies, created by Carlos Magdalena at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It is simply gorgeous in its own right but marks a major milestone -- another "impossible" now possible.

In conjunction with our "Greening the Planet One Pond at a Time" initiative this issue has a cluster of green articles starting with one of the eco-friendliest botanic gardens on earth, Malaysia's Tropical Spice Garden. This exquisite Garden has some great ideas we all could adopt!

Dave Brigante addresses recycling nursery plastic; Charles Leach has alternatives for invasive aquatics; David Curtright and Joel Police, in different regions, offer tips for conserving pond water. We hope you too will send us green articles!

Pairat Songpanich explores viviparity in hardy waterlilies; Pam Spindola shows us the sanke variety of koi; Tamara Kilbane reviews aquatics 2008 at the lovely Sarah P. Duke Gardens; Joe Tomocik does the same from Denver Botanic Gardens; Pat Clifford has found some amazing historic Victoria documents and illustrations in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh library; Rich Sacher illustrates water features for small gardens.

Look for new profiles of Dave Brigante and Kenneth Khoo linked from their WGI Online articles, V-A's Recent Additions or from Water Gardening Friends.

There are a few copies of the 2008 Supplement to the WGI Register of Waterlilies remaining. Instructions for ordering are on the page.

We invite your critique and contributions!

K
Kit Knotts
Executive Director

WGI January Update sent to members January 10, 2009

It's WGI's third birthday! Through the month look for another issue of WGI Online to be made public as a gift to readers just now finding us!

We've achieved another milestone as well, 2,000 members in 73 countries worldwide. We've asked member number 2,000 for a picture to include on the New & News page.

The 2008 Supplement to the WGI Register of Waterlilies will be back from the printer in a few days. Here is what it looks like. Instructions for reserving and ordering are on the page.

Our partner web site Victoria-Adventure has launched a new section -- Greening the Planet One Pond at a Time. We would REALLY appreciate input and additional articles to build the section.

WGI ONLINE Journal Volume 3, Number 4 is one of our most widely read issues so dont't miss any of it. Issue 4.1 is in the works.

K
Kit Knotts
Executive Director