Garden help please

[Greymalkin12]

We are looking to regain control of our garden (moved in a few years ago, done very little other than cut the grass) and we are both absolute beginners so would appreciate any advice!!

I'd be very grateful if someone could and s many plants you can see in this border please!

There is also an area at the back of the garden that we would like to try to reclaim - we are thinking of having a couple of raised beds with a gravel path. It is completely overrun with weeds. I was thinking we should look to clear the area as much as we can by digging and then put weed control fabric. Is this a sensible approach? is there a best time of year to do it?

Thanks!

Centre front is Rosemary - should smell amazing if you brush the leaves
behind it is a flowering hypericum / st John's wort
to the right is a young birch tree
to the left of the yellow flowers is a small bay tree

basically that is a former herb bed that can be rejuvenated over the coming months with a pair of secateurs

pull out all of the bindweed, trim the birch to one stem and then see where you are

Thank you so much Listening! The only one I was sure of was the rosemary!

Take more pictures at 6 feet intervals and I might be able to ID more (as will other folks)

Raised beds are best built in the late summer to plant in the autumn for enjoyment next year

Yep, agree with Listening's ids.

Thank you very much! Please could someone identify the dark leaves in this

Agree the ID's given for your first picture.

The second picture, the reddish/grey palmate leaves right centre look like an Acer, but there are so many cultivars it would be nigh on impossible to identify accurately!

The dark green foliage at the very bottom (ground level) could be either a Euphorbia species (maybe Pachysandra?)or possibly Choisya (Mexican Orange Blossom). Again, difficult to tell - any possibility of some close ups?

Would be interested to know MereDint's assessement - a very knowledgeable identifier of plants!

Out fishing at the moment and haven't got my glasses with me, so cannot really see clearly!
Fish are not cooperating currently, hence the perusal of Mumsnet, whilst waiting for something to happen

thank you beekeeper!

Yup, -got my specs now - a Spurge or Euphorbia, but, again, very difficult to give a definitive species ID - has a milky white sap which is very caustic, so care needed when handling it, it will burn the skin and, if you rub your eyes without washing your hands first, my goodness, you will soon know about it!

If Euphorbia, then likely to be E. robbiae.

thank you very much indeed to everyone - you're fantastic! x