Gardening

Hey folks,

I have no gardening experience and looking to improve the garden that was planted by the previous owners. I am unsure how to maintain these plants and what is best for them, as well i don't know what is intended to grow and what might be a weed out of control.

I have linked an album of photos I have taken of various plants. A lot of them seem to be growing out of what looked like previously dead stems or growing over them. I am just not sure if I should be getting rid of the dried out old stems or if i am supposed to leave them as the new plant might need it, it also looks like it depends on the plant.

I tried tugging out the dead stems from some of them but there was a lot of resistance so i stopped for fear up uprooting the whole plant. Maybe I should trim those stems instead?

I am going into this blind so pardon my ignorance about it all.