Right Plant, Right Place: The First Principle
'Right plant, right place' is the single most important idea in professional xeriscaping. It means selecting each plant so its natural requirements — hardiness, sun, soil, and mature size — are already met by the conditions of the spot where it's planted. A plant matched to its site needs little supplemental water, little intervention, and little rescue. A mismatched plant needs constant babysitting no matter how 'tough' the label claims it is.
For contractors, this principle is what separates a landscape that thrives on the design irrigation budget from one that generates warranty callbacks. You cannot amend, irrigate, or prune your way out of a bad plant-to-site match.
