Meet the Greenspace Team

The healing gardens and greenspaces across Tanner Health's campuses are carefully maintained by a team of dedicated landscape professionals who share a passion for creating beautiful, welcoming environments for patients, visitors and team members. Their work continues a design legacy inspired by one of the Southeast's most respected landscape architects, Edward “Ed” Lawton Daugherty.

Chris Threadgill

Landscape Architect

Chris D. Threadgill is a Georgia landscape architect and founder of Threadgill & Associates, a Carrollton-based firm focused on residential landscape architecture, master planning and site development. Educated at the University of Georgia School of Environmental Design, where he earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, Threadgill has built his practice around helping homeowners shape outdoor spaces that are both beautiful and livable.

Since founding Threadgill & Associates in 2000, he has collaborated with homeowners, architects and builders to develop landscapes that respond to the character of each site and the needs of the people who use it. His work reflects a practical, client-centered approach to design, balancing planning, craftsmanship and the everyday enjoyment of outdoor spaces.

Gene Hughes

Landscape Consultant

Gene Hughes is a longtime Carrollton landscape professional whose career in the industry spans more than five decades. His interest in landscaping began in 1971 while working part time in lawn maintenance at Higgins General Hospital. In 1973, he began working for Fletcher Landscape and became owner of the company four years later, in 1977.

Hughes owned and operated Fletcher Landscape for nearly five decades, providing landscape contracting, garden services and outdoor design before he sold the company to Second Nature Landscape & Design LLC in 2024. Throughout his career, Hughes has built a reputation around hands-on experience, client service and a deep knowledge of landscaping in the west Georgia community.

Inspired by the vision of Edward "Ed" Daugherty

The design philosophy behind Tanner's gardens and greenspaces traces back to the work of Edward "Ed" Lawton Daugherty Sr., one of the most influential landscape architects in Georgia and the Southeast.

Daugherty designed the landscape along the Dixie Street side of Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton, creating a foundation that continues to influence the character of Tanner's outdoor spaces today. His approach emphasized the integration of architecture, nature and the human experience, helping create environments that are both visually beautiful and deeply meaningful.

Throughout his distinguished career, he shaped many of Georgia's most recognizable landscapes, including Marietta Square, the Georgia Governor's Mansion grounds, Georgia Tech, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, All Saints Episcopal Church and numerous civic, educational and healthcare campuses.

Known for blending natural beauty with purposeful design, Daugherty believed landscapes should enrich the human experience. His designs encouraged people to connect with nature, find moments of reflection and experience a sense of comfort and well-being within the spaces around them.

That philosophy continues to influence Tanner's approach to its healing gardens and greenspaces today. Through thoughtful design, careful stewardship and a commitment to creating welcoming outdoor environments, Tanner's greenspace team carries forward Daugherty's legacy by providing places where patients, visitors and team members can pause, recharge and experience the restorative benefits of nature. Read more about Daugherty below.