Put down crushed rock. Beauty bark or wood mulch is an ideal breeding ground for fleas.

the mulch is keeping the weeds down while you grow something . rock won't do that . perhaps a vine where you have a trellis above to "grab" and maybe some korean bump grass on this side of the curb will spread and fill the space for you . .

Look for flats of groundcover at your nursery store. These usually spread and fill a space. Make sure you buy perennials not annuals. Annuals only last a few months. Perennials last year after year.

Hi. The mulch you have is a good color - keep it. Consider a bush at the rounded part of the concrete. Get plants that say they are invasive to put along the fence- they will quickly fill in the space. It is sometimes cheaper to buy a wood bench for part of the space, than to plant.

To keep the weeds down, use an organic weed killer.