Apart from everything
firelilly has mentioned, you will need to take into consideration both the Winter and Summer temperatures when choosing plants for your garden and how much time you are going to be able to spend in caring for them, plus things like, are there any trees or heavily shaded areas, what sort of style do you want your garden to have and most importantly how much water will you have available during the summer months - but once those things have been dealt with, there are hundreds of easy to grow, easy care plants available, that will reward you year after year for your efforts

its just a matter of finding the right plants to suit both your environment and what you want to see growing in your garden.
As for research - apart from posting any queries you might have on the forum - you have the biggest research tool at your fingertips - the internet, where you can find all kinds of useful and practical information
