Guy Nearing, author and horticulturist, died March 19. The Ulster, Pa., resident, formerly of Ridgewood and Ramsey, was 96.

Mr. Nearing performed the first hybridization of rhododendrons. The work was done at the Guy Nearing Nursery in Ridgewood, with the aid of his invention, the Nearing Frame.

The frame was a lean-to metal structure allowing rhododendrons to grow from cuttings. He was a member of the American Rhododendron Society.

He was an authority on mushrooms and a member of the North American Mycological Society, and in 1947 he wrote "The Lichen Book."

An artist in his spare time, he included 700 of his illustrations in the work. Another lovely article about Nearing is here.