Flowers question

[Aria2015]

I have zero gardening experience. We moved house last year. There is a flowerbed in the garden but it's a bit of a mess. Can I trim back stuff and pull out weed looking plants and then just buy a few flower plants and pop them in the existing soil? Or is it more complicated than that?

I'd pull out any weeds and then see what comes up this year.

Take photos and we can tell you if they are weeds or flowers

Some garden plants can look remarkable like weeds when young. Good idea to remove only weeds you recognise

Usual advice is to wait a year and see what you have!

Thank you for the replies!!

Ah, so I had already pulled up quite a bit and now I'm worried they might not have been weeds after all! I will take a photo tomorrow of what I've left.

Quite a lot of what I pulled up looked like long pieces of grass, but when I dug them up, they had a small bulb. Almost like a spring onion?

So maybe I should leave it now and see what pops up?

Probably allium flowers. They are nice, but don't last that long so you would still have wanted something else for the rest of summer. I would chuck down some cheap and cheerful bedding plants such as pansies and when frost risk has passed petunias.then you can see what else comes up, where the sun is, what pests you have etc. That will give you time to plan for what you want next year.

Quite a lot of what I pulled up looked like long pieces of grass, but when I dug them up, they had a small bulb. Almost like a spring onion? Those would be bulbs Could be Allium, if they smelled of onion. If they didn’t smell of onion, they could be Crocosmia in its common orange form known as Montbretia. Could be gone over crocuses. If you can, dig some out from wherever you disposed of them, and put a photo on here, with a coin or something next to them for scale, and we can give a good idea of what they may be. You’ll be able to replant them

Sorry for the late update. Here are some photos. The one with the purple flowers at the base of the tree look nice but need trimming back, but that means chopping off some of the flowers 😬. Also, does anyone know the name of the big plant that looks like a palm tree? I don't really like it but was wondering if I could advertise for someone to take it for their garden? Is that a thing?

One more

the big plant is either a cordyline or a yucca (I'm guessing the latter). The one on the right is an osteospermum, they'll take quite hard pruning. I'm guessing your climate is very mild if they made it through the winter so well.

In the last photo you've got a primula, a red cordyline, and I can't tell what the shrub it (are those flower buds?). At the front that could be a rose next to the cyclamen? would need a closer picture.

I would just cut things back and see how it goes, it looks a bit overgrown but there are clearly some nice plants there.

@CatherinedeBourgh thank you! I'll cut back the one that's flowing over the flower boarder then. Just googled Yucca and I think that's what it is! Wonder if someone would be interested in it? Are they popular do you know?

I personally like them, but many people don't because they are quite spiky and can be slightly thuggish. Lovely white flower spikes when they do flower.

@CatherinedeBourgh I might see if anyone wants it then. I just feel like it's a bit overwhelming for the space and yes, it's spikey and it's got me a few times! 🤣

Yes, I've always had them in the back of a large border, where you're not likely to brush against them. Not ideal next to somewhere people circulate!