No maintenance plant/shrub ideas for front garden

[verylongday]

I have a small bed in my front garden that is approximately 5 metres long. Its tear drop shaped and about 2 metres at its widest. It has a silver birch tree in the middle of the widest end.
It gets full sun and dries rock hard in the summer.
It became so full of weeds and crap, so a year ago we dug it all out and covered it with a black weed suppressant membrane. Some weeds have grown nevertheless.
The bed is very shallow, particularly at the edges.
I now want to sort it out and plant for little to no maintenance. I'm 62 and have arthritis, so want to plant and leave it.
What do you suggest i plant? Ive had lavendar and choisia in there in the past. All got leggy and ugly.

Cardboard and then bark has sorted our weeds out and then whatever bushes you want. Or if it’s surrounded by grass, perhaps just get rid of it/most of it?

I'd love to get rid of it but its got block paving either side. It's a pain in the neck tbh

You cannot beat geraniums for practically zero maintenance. And they come in lots of different colours and bloom throughout the year.

How about tufty ornamental grass to cover the entire area? They would complement your birch.

Ornamental grasses require minimal care and can spread through self seeding.

Grasses that do well in the sun:
Blue Moor Grass.
Blue Fescue.
Blood Grass.
Lilyturf.

Bellota
Rosemary
Lamb's ears
Acanthus (but can be invasive)

We have planted Thyme in areas where we don't want to do anything!

What sort of thyme have you planted? Creeping thyme?

Saxifrage is low growing (height) but slowly spreads