When planting plants from a pot outside should the whole ball or dirt

It is difficult to see from the picture just how high above the ground it is but since these plants don't like to be sitting in excessive water it looks about right. The water needs to run away from the plant not to be sitting in it.

I always make sure the whole root ball is planted in the dirt. It looks to me like they are planted too high but maybe that type of plant gets planted more shallow. What kind is it?

That is definitely not the correct way for planting.holes should be dug twice the size of the root ball width and depth

A root ball should sit a little bit above the surrounding soil... this may indeed be correct. If the root ball is Even with the surrounding soil, it will settle and become a Pocket that collects water... that'll drown the plant in wet conditions. Too high and the roots will dry out because of air exposure.

Also, certain plants need subtle modifications to this rule. If you have a good landscaper, he would guarantee his work for AT LEAST a full growing season.

As a horticulturist, I would do the following to ensure the plant survives.

Step 1: Dig the hole twice as wide as the pot and as deep. However, one exception to as deep as the pot ... if the plant does not like "wet feet" (plant is a desert plant or succulent and does not like overwatering) I would dig a bit deeper and put in the bottom of the hole a couple of inches of pea gravel for heavy clay to clay soils to ensure good drainage. Make several "cuts" around the sides of the hole - you don't want a smooth sided hole. Roots can't penetrate especially if the soil has clay - almost like setting the root ball in a concrete hole.

Step 2: if the ground is very dry, fill the hole up with water at least one to three times to ensure good ground moisture at depth.

Step 3: Make several cuts with a sharp knife starting at the bottom of the rootball and up a third of the way. Loosen this up to ensure that you don't have root binding. Root binding is when the plant is overgrown in a confined pot - roots strart wrapping around. When you plant a root bound plant, the roots continue to wrap and you have a plant that never grows and eventually declines.

Step 4: As you back fill with the soil you removed from the ground, water in. This will help to remove air pockets.

Step 5: To ensure that the plant establishes, check the soil moisture every day or two (especially small plants). Tried and true method - stick your finger into the soil a couple of inches away from the base of the plant to your second knuckle. If it's dry water thoroughly, if moist, don't water. Do this until you see new growth on your plant(s) and then you can back off on watering a bit as the plant has established a good root system.

In my opinion, your landscaper did a very poor job of planting and I surmise they will do poorly. I would have had him replant following the above instructions if he was on my landscaping crew.

I hope this helps. And good luck!