Twin Cities residents are invited to bring their plant health questions to a event with plant disease experts on Saturday, July 26, at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. 

Sponsored by The American Phytopathological Society, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and the University of Minnesota Extension, this event is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the arboretum’s Oswald Visitor Center and is free with Arboretum admission, according to an Arboretum press release.

Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the arboretum grounds and meet with real plant doctors (plant pathologists) to learn the best strategies for keeping gardens healthy and for recognizing common diseases affecting home gardens. Plant doctors will offer tips on how to prevent and manage plant diseases, the release stated.

They will provide an overview on which diseases can be tolerated, and which should be treated. The public is invited to bring samples and ask questions about specific problems. The plant doctors are in Minnesota for The American Phytopathological Society Centennial Meeting, taking place July 26-30, at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

“With thousands of experts on plant diseases in the area, we feel this is a great opportunity to introduce Minnesota gardeners and residents to this important science and enable them to go home with a prescription for a healthy yard and garden,” said event organizer Michelle Grabowski, horticulture extension educator with the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Office in Andover.

For more information on this event, visit www.arboretum.umn.edu.