Kindly looking for some advice (Part 2) With added pictures...

Hello,
I have recently moved into a new house and am looking for some advice and ideas of what to do with my front garden. I have never really done much gardening before and, ideally would like to dig all of the weeds out and put down some perennials to make it look nice. We live about half a mile from the sea and there isn't a huge amount of quality soil in the borders at the moment-although as you can see that doesn't seem to be a problem for the weeds
I wonder if anyone would be so kind to give me advice on what to do in terms of transforming this monstrosity step by step. I have uploaded some photos of the garden and eagerly await your advice.
The front border has had three conifers removed so the stumps have been cut down but are still there. Will this cause a problem to the planting scheme or will they have to be removed?
Thanks in anticipation...

 

Welcome to GC Greenman13.

As you're in a coastal position like me, I assume you have sandy soil but I'll come back to that in a moment. With the exception of the established shrubs closer to the house (they could be identified with close up shots of foliage and flowers) I would be inclined to clear the rest of the beds and start afresh with new plants. If you're not adverse to using chemicals, the lawn would benefit from a weed and feed.

Back to the soil. If it is sandy, it doesn't hold nutrients or water and would benefit from some well rotted horse manure and/or compost. If you have a local stables they are quite often happy for people to take manure as long as the shovelling is done by those that collect. At this time of year as you will want to plant it's best to dig it in. If used in early spring it can be left to worms to drag it down into the soil before most plants start into growth.

The roots of the conifer stumps are likely to restrict digging and planting round them and may also restrict the growth of new plants. Perhaps you could dig around those with a garden fork to see if there is a problem. If so it may benefit you to remove them.

The plants you choose for your garden will depend on the climate in your area. With that in mind if you want advice on those from members here, it would be a good idea to put your area in your avatar box so that members can see at a glance what will suit you and your garden.

 

Good advice from Sheal, I would add, if you don't wish to remove the tree stumps, then you could plant things that have bulbs or tubers around them.

 

The shrub beside the brick pillar in picture 2 looks like an Escallonia. I would be inclined to keep that as it does well by the sea, resistant to salt and is evergreen.