Beginner to Gardening - Where to start?

[Marak]

I moved into a new appartment last year and it came with a small courtyard/garden. The previous tenant had kept it pretty clean but I unfortunately neglected it as I had a very busy schedule with work. Due to this, it looks pretty unkempt to me and some plants got damaged during a heat wave last year.

This time I want to put more effort in and make it look nice, but to be honest I have no idea where to start. My first bet would be to remove all the dead/damaged plants, but im unsure which ones to get rid of and which ones might still recover, as some of them have started growing new leaves again.
Some further ideas I have:

• Get decorative containers for tools etc.
• plant some new flowers or something that looks nice
• maybe add a raised bed for vegetables and herbs, as i love to cook
• Waterproof furniture for a sitting area?

Could anybody be so kind to have a look at the pictures I've attached and give me some tips? Sorry if the information I provided isn't as helpful as it could be, I'm fairly new to this.
Thanks!

 

[Toddz]

What you cut and how much you cut is determined by the kind of plant that you have. If you know what you have you can search for the best way to prune them. I can't recognize what they are, sorry.

If you can't find any information, then cut them back to a healthy part of the stem. Just removing the dead and damaged.

 

[Tetters]

Hello @Marak and welcome to the forums.
Until you have a plan, do nothing to the growing areas, except to make sure those plants have water.
Get a comfortable chair, and think about what you really want to grow. Either flowers, or vegetables, or fruit.
Do you like it all being paved, or would you rather have a courtyard like this

or this

or maybe this....

Get some books and magazines together and have a think. After that, you will have a plan in your head of which bit to start on. That probably won't take long, especially if you start making a list - so pen and paper ready!
You don't have to have it as it is now. It is your space, and now is the time to make any major changes.
While you are doing this, and if you make sure the plants are watered that are already there - plants will start to grow, and you will have a better idea of what you already have.
SO. Do you have children? do you have a dog? Do you need space for entertaining?

Maybe you could let us know, and we could see where you go from there! Most importantly - enjoy it

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Start with a good clean up. If you remove everything you know is a weed you will start to identify other weeds, they are the ones growing everywhere and growing through other plants. You can get a phone app that helps identify plants, it's not 100% but it is good enough to let you know what to check out on google. As Toddz says knowing what they are is key to knowing what to do and if you want to keep them. Tetters advises sitting there and deciding what you want, I always find I think of these things as I am doing the clearing up.

 

[lifegardener]

One technique we used years ago, was first putting in a path - as a starting frame work.
Then, over time, putting in plants.

Gardening is never a fixed point, and more of a journey which evolves overtime.