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Here are some of Daxin’s favorite design works. Click again after clicking on any image will reveal a larger image.

Enjoy!

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• Mediterraneo

  This Palo Alto front garden has no lawn, thus requires no mowing, and only modest watering. The lush appearance is achieved by use of vigorous Spanish lavenders and Yellow Wave New Zealand Flaxes, which nicely compliment the Mediterranean style of the house. The use of sculptural focal points such as the dry fountain suggests water as well, adding to the lush feel of the garden. Generous planting is blended in with ample pavement, which makes access to the plants easier, and allows children to run and play in the garden.

  

  

  

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• Fragrantopia

  This is Daxin’s garden in his former residence, designed and constructed from an empty dirt patch in 1999. It is less than 1500 square feet in size, yet feels at least twice as spacious through clever spacial design. This garden is full of features including a 1000-gallon koi pond, a custom Sunbrella gazebo, a greenhouse for Daxin’s tropical plants collection, a built-in outdoor kitchen counter, and multiple seating areas. This is also Daxin’s test field of interesting plants so visitors will always find something new, especially those in the one hundred plus containers. About 40 different species of fragrant plants are scattered throughout the garden so some nice natural perfume can be found almost everyday.

  

  

  

  

  

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• Hilltop Eden

  This one-acre garden in Saratoga is perched on a steep slope with gorgeous views of the Santa Clara Valley below. To compliment the modern architecture of this house, which has strong geometrical forms and clean lines, Daxin selected many foliage plants with emphasis on forms and texture. One major challenge is the hordes of deers that roam the hills, and they do not read the book on deer-proof plants. So a few plants have been replaced through this nature selection process.
  

  

  

  

  

  

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• Woodland Opening

  Several towering redwood trees and coast live oaks preside over this garden on Stanford campus. The new house is unequivocally Mediterranean, but the client wants a Japanese themed garden. Life is easier since she is open to an eclectic plant palette, and here is an experiment of arranging Mediterranean climate plants with a Japanese twist.

  

  

  

  

  

  

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• Lush and Water Conservation

  The selling point of this LEED platinum certified house in Palo Alto is its extensive list of Green features. It is natural to use mostly drought tolerant plants and to harvest rain water onsite. The hardscapes were impeccably built by top-notch contractors (Fence and arbor by Stan Paresa. Stone work and planting by Mike Hertzer of Modern Landscape), which greatly enhanced the design. Even with quite a few succulents scattered around, the general feel of this garden is still like a lush meadow with fountains and grassy perennials.