Mib Medford

Mib Medford was an integral part of Waynesville beautification many years ago. Find out how several of the landscaping and plants you discover around our town today were a result of her strong influence and dedication. See her story below.

Mib (Mildred) Medford was born in Cameron SC and attended Brenau College in Gainesville, GA. Through her college roommate, she met her husband, Phillip, who was from Waynesville, NC. They married in 1948 and eventually moved back to Waynesville where he practiced dentistry with his father.

When her children were in school, at Central Elementary, she became interested in trees due to a tree planting around the school. She had grown up on a large farm, so she was always interested in new plants. She was always studying plant books. She became very influential in the landscaping around the library, and she was credited in the Mountaineer for her landscaping knowledge and influence. She was instrumental in raising money not only for the library but for other beautification projects in Waynesville. As part of the Downtown Association her ideas and her garden club (MVGC) installed and added planters on Main Street. The garden club took care of the planters for a while and then the town took over.

She was able to acquire a grant for the Yoshino cherry trees lining North Main Street.

She raised and propagated plants at Haywood Community College greenhouse to be used in different areas. The post office trees were not doing well, so she acquired young trees and had them grown in the state agricultural site east of Asheville. She had great influence on DOT in the plants that were planted around Waynesville.

She received statewide recognition when she was awarded the Governor’s Volunteer award in September of 1980 in recognition of planting native wildflowers, 2000 black eyed susans, on state roadsides. She was cited as a “moving spirit’.
Mib and her husband, Phil, planted tulip bulbs in front of the Welcome to Waynesville sign along with many trees that they secured with grants.

She was a member of the Downtown Waynesville Association, Horticultural Commission, Chairman of the Grounds Committee of the Haywood Library, Chairman of the Historical Preservation Committee of Waynesville. She had 32 trees, 375 plants, 8 benches, 2 kiosks, and 8 sidewalk extensions given by Shell Oil to MVGC. Mib headed up the planting for 4 sugar Maple trees in front of the Historic Haywood Hospital in honor of the past physicians that had practiced there.