Innovation is blooming for water gardeners this year at an unprecedented rate. Since its founding earlier this year, WGI and its Victoria-Adventure partner have been chronicling astonishing advances that benefit water gardeners everywhere. Our November Online Journal continues the excitement. We begin with a water garden whose owner designed it for refreshing swims.

Our cover story describes Derek Fell's exhilarating dipping (swimming) pool. Although the concept has been known for years, it presents a novel idea for enjoying a special type of water garden. Imagine swimming with your fish among waterlilies and other aquatic plants! Additionally, this innovation represents a fresh approach to integrating a water garden into the landscape design and daily living.

A few months ago at Pondapalooza in Pittsburgh, we learned of a technological breakthrough for tropical lily lovers. Mark Prescott's Thermoplanter provides extra weeks of tropical waterlily growing in spring and fall. Moreover, his innovative planters enable water gardeners living in areas with summer high temperatures around 70 F (21 C) degrees to grow tropicals. More enthusiasts will be able to grow tropicals, including Victorias, in their previously too-cool climate.

For over twenty years, professional growers, retailers, and waterlily authorities have been wrestling with the problem of waterlily identification. It was all talk -- no action. WGI members voted waterlily ID as water gardening's most urgent water problem. Now WGI makes its innovative Truly Named program available for water gardeners around the globe. This fall, (the northern hemisphere's "off season"), makes an ideal time for you to urge your supplier(s) to join the innovative Truly Named program. In the southern hemisphere, please look for and demand Truly Named labels on your waterlily purchases.

Hybridizers are registering their introductions at a record rate with WGI (founded this year, 2006); 70 appear on the site with more arriving daily. Their inclusion in the printed WGI International Checklist out this month represents another benchmark.

WGI members frequent WGI/VA's twin sites that represent unparalleled innovation, all free, featuring:

Timely, constantly updated web sites
Email newsletter
Online news page
Your opinions heard, your input valued
Voting privileges (members only)
Valuable tips to make your water garden grow better
1800 waterlily names with helpful data, many with images
110 water garden related organizations, constantly updated
241 botanical gardens with aquatic displays, constantly updated
Year-round events calendar for water garden happenings
70 profiles of noteworthy water garden personalities from around the world
International Checklist of Waterlily (Nymphaea) Names

Proof of appreciation of WGI's innovations - over one million hits a month on the web's most authoritative water garden resource, the WGI/VA partnership. With loyal readers and members in 50 countries, WGI's innovations have propelled it to be the most powerful global voice in water gardening.

C.B.T. info@watergardenersinternational.org