I can't get your photos to load.
Could you post them here?
I understand how it feels to be at a loss, and not know where to start.
Would help... If you were to define how you would like to use the yard, and how much neighborhood regulations define what the yard is required to be.
Personally, my yard is a butterfly habitat... All natural area, nothing mowed... And whenever anyone offers to help weed my veggie garden... I politely decline, as there are no weeds out there...
There's a bad tendency to kill anything that we didn't purchase...
And thats the worst kind of gardening anyone can do if they care at all about pollinators and other critters..... everybody needs pollinators... If they want to eat.
So... Rather than worry about bushes that I didn't like....
I think I'd be looking for what I wanted to replace them with.... And leave well enough alone until I found the perfect plant(s).
Re mulch...
Layer after layer of landscape fabric sounds messy.
Yes, a thick layer of mulch prevents seeds from germinating. Landscape fabric usually just means that the worst offenders grow.
When nutsedge and bermuda grass colonize the bed... That landscape fabric makes it very difficult to remove...
Please reconsider your goals for the yard, and then come back and talk to us about how you would prefer to spend your time.
With some pictures to look at, we might be able to help you get there.
