Rented house, bare beds, help please!

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Afternoon, I’ve recentlu moved into a rented house and the garden has two big beds, they have some shrubs dotted about but there is a lot of bare mud.
Now I’ve never had a garden before and I don’t have the foggiest about what to do with it. But obviously need to keep it from turning into a jungle. Cheap and cheerful and relatively idiot proof ideas please!
Also part of it overrun by nettles, do I just yank them out? With gloves on!
I’ll try and attach a picture. The boundary is a low stone wall just at the end of the path between the daffs.

to get rid of the nettles, dig them out. make sure you get all the roots out.

i would then probably plant some Buddleja. it comes in loads of different colours and is easy to take care of, just trim it down when it gets too large.

all the best!

Looks like it has the potential to be lovely! If I were you, I’d only get rid of the most obvious weeds, ie the nettles. It’s only March so there could be loads of lovely plants just waiting to sprout up. My mum used to say to leave a garden alone for the first year just to see what would appear.

Yes, pull the nettles out (the tips are good steamed, or make soup). Ideally dig the roots out too if you want rid.

To fill the beds, personally I would chuck some packets of cheep seeds down, it may work it may not but if not you've not lost much. Definitely forget-me-knot, it will self seed and come back each year, and whatever else you fancy. Nasturciums will cover the ground well for this year too.

Or you could grow some herbs, or veg - salad, courgettes, spinach are easy.

Or yes, just wait as there may be lots just waiting to come up in warmer weather.

Right I’ll add something to dig the nettles out with onto the shopping list! Thank you! Have Google’d buddleja and they look pretty! And like they’ll take up a bit of the spare space which is the type of thing I’m after.

Do plants poke their heads out of the ground roughly at the same time? Just I have no idea what will be weeds or plants to keep 😘

Rogue emoji there

Different plants and bulbs will begin to pop up roughly from now until May. Wait and see what comes up and post anything you think is a weed on here and you’ll get an answer.
After the middle of May, garden centres will have summer annual plants, so you could use these to fill in gaps and brighten things up.
As the year progresses you’ll have some idea of where the gaps are and how you want the garden to look.
Take photos each month to remind you of what it looks like.

Ah brilliant advice. Thank you. I’m a complete novice and as I plan on being here for a good few years I may as well make it as nice as I can!

Maybe see if you borrow a power washer and give the patio a wash down first (I'd do that before trying seeds as they will get splatted everywhere)

Wilko is good for seeds plants and bulbs at good prices

You really don't know what's lurking there. People taking on gardens longterm usually wait a year, observungwhat is there and the patterns of light and shade, and and where is dry/damp before planning what to do.

If not long term, and not inclined to wait, then try addieasy to grow annuals (from seed) in the bare patches. If they don't germinate, you can get plugs of annuals from garden centres later on. That gives you colour and show without commitment.

Congratulations on your nettles btw, they grow best in good soil which is promising! You might want to leave a small patch forinsects.