Perfect plant placement

This is my check-list of sorts for beginner gardeners (like me!). It’s not meant to be intimidating or exhaustively followed - more “some things to consider that you may not have thought or heard about”. Hopefully, with a little planning, you won’t have to deal with the heartbreak of a plant that dies

Onwards:

What soil do you have, and what type does your plant need? Some types of soil hold water for a long time (causing roots to rot, or disease to spread), while others harden like a rock afterwards. Choosing the right type of soil can make a big difference!
What’s the drainage like there? I find it tempting to remove all the rocks in an area before placing the plant, but they can really help! Based on my experiences with over watering plants (I worry that they’re not getting enough water – not sure what that says about the sort of parent I’ll be) drainage can be the difference between “thrive” and “barely alive”
During summer, when the sun is high, how much light hits the plant? And in winter, when the sun is lower? If you’re planting near a large structure (like your house), this can be the difference between light during winter and almost none at all

My garden in Cape Town, South Africa has a peak sun angle (measured from the horizon) of 79.6 degrees in the summer, and 32.6 in the winter. That’s calculated as 90 ± 23.5 - 33.9 (± 23.5 because of the Earth’s tilt during summer and winter, and -33.9 is the latitude of the area). You can also use a website like this one (under “Table of altitude and distance to the Sun”, click “year” and skim the “Midday altitude” column)

Bear in mind that this also applies to plants in windowsill or on a balcony
If it grows tall, will it block light from other plants? The previous owners of our current house planted a (now large) tree which almost totally blocks the lemon tree behind it from receiving light. I think it’s quite common to imagine how beautiful your tree or bush will be once it has grown, but totally forget about the shade it’ll bring
What was planted there before? What’s growing nearby? Some plants make for better companions than others
Similarly, if you’re planting outside, are plants with very different water needs next to each other? Hose pipes/sprinklers aren’t very precise
What’s the pH of the soil like? It’s straightforward to test, although I honestly haven’t actually done that myself
Are you trying to plant your seeds at the right time of year? Many plants seemingly make for accurate but imprecise clocks (“it’s summer” or “it’s definitely not summer”)

I optimistically/naively planted a few varieties of seeds in winter, many of which didn’t germinate. Later, I planted different seeds in those same pots. By spring, there was a lot of confusion
If you’re reading about a plant online, is the writer from the opposite hemisphere or a very different climate? In sunny Cape Town I find I don’t have to worry about the “last frost of winter”, but have to be careful when there’s mention of planting in a specific month of the year. It also isn’t always clear where the writer is from, and what they believe is “cold”
If you have pets that like to wander around the garden, consider putting up a barrier so that they don’t stand on small saplings or delicate root systems. I learned this the hard way after a few butternut saplings were destroyed by my curious dog. I don’t think pre-emptively adding fences everywhere is necessary, but remember my cautionary tale if you find snapped/squashed plants one day and can’t figure out what happened
More long-term, consider improving your soil’s nutrients and texture. That link describes methods including using fertilizers, crop rotation and fungi. Making your own compost heap is great, though not suitable for all locations (there are lots of rats where I live :/)

This list is quite short because no one wants to read a whole book on gardening before they’ve discovered a passion for it, but if you have a suggestion to add (or correction to make) please do let me know