By SANDRA THAMES / Community Columnist

Ready for that lush green lawn and beautiful healthy shrubbery after another dull winter? Well, according to local lawn authority, John Waugh, a beautiful yard is not an overnight occurrence.

“So many homes around our area have been built on land that has had all the top soil scraped or graded away, so lots of sod is laid on chert,” he said.

When you admire someone’s lovely lawn, it has probably had a year or two of special treatment.

“Some people will try to do it themselves but they have not been trained and certified on herbicides and pesticides. They could do some real damage,” Waugh said. “Soil tests, pre-emergents, fertilizers and weed control must be monitored correctly.”

Born into a family of well-known Alabaster residents (Butlers and Waughs) John holds dear his memories of working in his maternal grandfather’s garden.

“To help Pop was something I really enjoyed. If there was an empty piece of ground, he’d plow it up,” he said. “We planted over 1,000 tomato plants and Pop sold to A&P and other stores including his own Butler Mercantile.”

Another of John’s fondest childhood memories was camping at Gulf Shores State Park.

Raised in the Elliottsville Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Waugh, his wife Krisi and sons John Robert and Jackson now attend United Methodist.

Waugh has been involved for several years now in Alabaster Youth Baseball as an assistant coach on the teams of both sons. Family oriented all his life, Waugh enjoys family picnics, meals, outings, softball, chasing kids, fireworks, etc.

“Sometimes there may be 25 or 30 of us playing family softball. Easter afternoon, the ages of softball participants was from 3 to 44,” he said.

After graduating from Auburn University in 1994, Waugh lived in the Mobile area where he did erosion control and hydro seeding. When he returned home, he tried fence construction but had his heart set on Alabama Power Environmental Services. He needed training and certification in herbicides and pesticides to gain employment.

Waugh intended to work for a year or so for Flowers Lawncare, but wound up there for 11 years. Soon after Flowers sold to TruGreen, Waugh decided to take his experience and go out “on his own.”

“In this economy, it was kind of scary, but my business is slowly growing and I am available more to my family,” he said.

Lawn Solutions is available for free consults and estimates, no contract. The company can be reached at 229-0909.

Living next door to his parents, Horace and Martha Waugh, with a pond and woods for his boys is all Waugh wants.

“I’m a simple man — I don’t need a lot,” Waugh said.

Community columnist Sandra Thames can be reached by email at bobthames1942@yahoo.com.