My intellectual side recommends that you study your growing conditions and watering habits, then see what plants suit those conditions.
My reality-based experience is "what looks cool? I hope I can grow that!"
Amazingly enough, doing the first has been most successful, but doing the second has taught me a great deal!
Doing the second, and sometimes winning and sometimes loosing has been my method and I have also learned a lot . I would not have given up the experiences.