Prepare the site before planting and ensure adequate maintenance. Site preparation is typically needed to address compaction, infiltration, and nutrient problems. Add organic matter and nutrients as tests indicate. Materials with possible weed seeds should be composted thoroughly. N ratio material can help tie up excess nitrogen which encourages weeds.
Weed control can be essential on degraded sites.
Solarize, fumigate, or use pre-emergent herbicides, burn, or irrigate and till to minimize weed competition. A large seed bank of weed seeds is almost certain to exist and weed suppression for several years may be needed. Direct seedling for shrubs rarely works well as many shrubs have long stratification requirements. Hydroseeding rarely works well in this dry environment, but a double spray with seeds in the first mix churned into the soil and then buried with a second spray with wood fiber can be much more effective than a single application. Timing is critical for hydroseeding.