Reviews (From Yelp reviews)
I've had the good fortune of working with some of nicest people. It's been an absolute pleasure helping them achieve their landscape dreams. Here's a small sampling of some of their experiences. More can be found at www.yelp.com/biz/landscape-nirvana-san-jose.
Ron R. Santa Clara, CA
Darryl is the guaranteed right choice for any landscape project , professional, experienced and has the personality to go with all of this. Detailed and ready to make changes as your plans progress . Don't try to do this yourself no matter how many books you have read. When you are spending thousands of dollars do it right the first time.
His landscape team which he recommend was the best and implemented Darryl plans exactly . They have worked with Darryl many years and this relationship made a huge difference. Project started well and most important ended well. Very pleased
Kenneth H. Pacifica CA
We hired Landscape Nirvana to design our front yard, and we couldn't be more thrilled with the results. We met with quite a few designers, and Darryl really stood out as the one that intuitively "got" what we wanted, which was something distinctive yet understated, and which was as eco-friendly as possible.
His design creatively blended native (drought-tolerant) plants with disparate hardscape elements (including a miniature sand dune!) to maximize water retention and minimize runoff, and he stayed on-site throughout the job to make sure his design was correctly implemented. It seems like everyone that walks past our house compliments us on our yard, but really they're complimenting Darryl.
Jim B. & Kris O. Novato CA
Darryl has a real talent and enthusiasm for landscape design. His knowledge is vast and his ability to be innovative and flexible is ever present. He is an excellent listener and very patient in helping you explore what you want. He made the evolution of our design - from a spoken idea to a beautifully rendered plan on paper to a fully executed landscape - a joy to experience and behold.
Besides accomplishing a gorgeous hillside of azaleas, rhododendrons and Japanese maples set amongst huge lava rocks which he personally helped put in place, he executed a meandering, authentic dry creek, a peaceful and natural waterfall/pond, two natural and winding lava rock stairways, and several tranquil spots to sit and enjoy a special feature or nature and beauty at large. His selection of plants ensures perpetual focal points. In other words, he has created for us a personal paradise which dynamically changes with the seasons .
His intuitive values about nature and sustainability were integral to the overall success of the design. We are proud when everyone who visits exclaims how his design is so beautiful yet fitting to the environment.
Jenny C. Los Altos CA
Darryl was very patient and responsive in designing our backyard. I had LOTS of questions and comments about this plant selections and watering requirements, particularly in light of the drought watering restrictions and he took the time to fully explain and discuss the answers. Unlike other landscape designers I had interviewed, he is not pushy. He really takes the time to listen to what you want, and is very professional yet mellow. It's evident that he cares about his designs and customer satisfaction. The installation of our yard is just about complete and we look forward to seeing everything in full bloom during the spring!
Evie F. Burlingame CA
When we bought our house we had a sloped back yard covered with ivy. It was a tough space but Daryl developed a number of different options for us including decking, small retaining walls, a rock river (we had a storm drain running down our property), and a comprehensive plan for new plants and trees in both the back and front of our house. He was very patient working with us and with the contractors to make sure we were absolutely delighted in the end. Its obvious that Daryl is very passionate about what he does and it shows in his designs and how he works with clients. He spends the time to understand your goals and doesn't push his own agenda. Thanks to Daryl we now have a little piece of paradise in our own back yard.
Carl B. Los Altos CA
Darryl had designed our neighbor's yard and we were so impressed by his work that we hired him to tackle a major portion of our back yard. He faced two challenges; creating a drought tolerant landscape and integrating it into the remainder of our yard that has an eclectic planting. He sought out how we would use this area of the back yard and how the garden fits into our lifestyle. We were delighted with his ideas, the plants he chose and his use of color, texture and stone. He is very aware of the environment he is working in and his gift is his ability to make the garden fit perfectly in with our house, the other portions of the yard and with our neighbors' yards as well.
The large new section is really beautiful and the three areas of our back yard now have one continuous flow while preserving their individual characters. The yard, with its new seating areas, encourages us to spend more time out there while requiring much less maintenance. Even though, at this writing, the garden is still brand new, we're already receiving lots of compliments. Darryl is a team player, prompt in responding to our questions and requests, and working with us to include some prized plants from the old garden into the new. He is a pleasure to work with and we highly recommend him.
Bin O. Mountain View CA
Our landscaping project has finally finished. We hired Darryl as the architect and he worked with a landscaping company to carry out the entire project. He collected our initial requirements and came back with three plans. We quickly decided on one of them and iterated through a couple of times. We have redone the front yard, side yard and backyard (kept the existing swimming pool.) We now have a sustainable front yard with huge rocks with artificial grass that our neighbors told me how great it looked.
The backyard is extended with travertine tiles, added a new BBQ kitchen island, a water feature, a huge shade sail and two feature walls to create an intimate entertaining space. We enjoy the whole backyard and its cozy ambience. We are very happy with the result and would highly recommend Darryl for any landscaping projects.
Marilyn Los Altos
We feel so fortunate to have come across Darryl and Landscape Nirvana to redo our entire landscape. Darryl was extremely easy to work with and gave us excellent guidance to create a outdoor space we truly love and are proud to share with family and friends. We had an idea what we wanted but could not have dreamed of the beautiful final outcome without the vision and expertise of Darryl. From the beginning we felt he heard our desires and concerns and came up with several drawings that would make us happy. He suggested plants(showed me pictures), stones and structure designs that we never would have thought of but so glad he did! We were also lucky to have Darryl match us up with Martin and Landscape Pros who helped make the plans into reality. They worked really well with each other. It's been several months since completion and as the plants have grown and bloomed, we now have a resort in our own backyard! We truly love spending time outside relaxing in our beautiful new space! Darryl also transformed our front yard into a low maintenance space that is full of curb appeal. Darryl was involved from start to finish of the project making sure everything looked great and went according to the plans. We couldn't be happier with the work Darryl did for us and highly recommend him to everyone.
Meredith San Carlos
Amazing experience!! We had a hard time finding a reliable, practical, and reasonable landscape designer for our backyard, but Darryl was exceptional to work with. He listened to what we wanted, provided us several options, and created a design that has turned out even more beautiful and functional than we had hoped. We worked with Darryl's contractor, Gus, who also went above and beyond our expectations...reliable, friendly, hard working, and had an eye for detail. Gus and his crew were focused on us being happy at every phase of the remodel. I cannot recommend this team enough!
Deborah Pacifica
We absolutely love working with Darryl! Our second project was a downward hill with multiple retaining walls. I couldn't imagine not having his design expertise. After years of trees, the backyard touted as no maintenance (because it's so thick with trees and brush you can't access) to a wonderful space with multiple areas for family fun with a garden that is drought tolerant, bird and pollinator friendly, meandering staircase, and more than we asked for! From my husband's perspective, Darryl is the go to man on the job if there are any questions and is top notch on customer service. My husband was in construction for 38 years and he has pretty high standards.
Everyone in our family loves the project. My neighbors have come by to tell us how nice. It really is a joy, especially now...we feel so fortunate to have this beautiful sanctuary.
Darryl really is 5 stars and creates the space YOU want. We genuinely enjoyed working with him both times and watching the dreams come into reality.
Erika D. Pacifica
Our back yard is next to a creek and had some nice trees, but the rest was just dead grass and dirt. It also had some challenging sloping and not a ton of room to do the work. It was definitely too much of a challenge for my husband and me, who are normally do-it-yourselfers. Darryl put together three very nice designs for us to choose from, each with a theme and price point, and he kept in mind that we wanted both a drought resistant and colorful yard. He did a beautiful job and we couldn't be happier with the subtle grade change and hardscaping he designed, along with a very nice palette of plants, many of which are flowering now. They really capture the coastal light subtlely but nicely. We now can enjoy our yard and have places to sit within the beautiful landscaping and enjoy it rather than being stuck on a concrete patio. I feel like my backyard is nice enough to show off to our friends during parties. We have regular dragonfly visitors now, but the best thing, really, is having a nice place to sit, cradled under the redwood tree, to look out over the creek and back toward the beautiful flowering but drought resistant plants closer to the house.
