@Hesperalis
At work, I can try out a #GravelGarden Beth Chatto style on the patch of lawn in the picture.
I will give Aganthus a shot, too. The garden is just 200m from the sea and should be much warmer in winter than my gardens a few km inland. The ground is fairly waterlogged though.
The background is the #NoDig garden I started August 2025 (on the rest of the lawn) for a job orientation programme for 7th/8th graders.