My first question is why all the rock? Why not remove it - or a large portion of it - and plant something?

We’re seniors and want a low maintenance yard.

I'd put 3-5 large matching pots with plants for some color and green.

ETA: looking again the space is larger that I first thought. So maybe more than 3-5 pots, but I would do LARGE pots and not small ones.

Or maybe add a nice bench. You could also do a recirculating water feature.

Or add some boulders and stepping stones along with pots:

Is this the in the sight line destination/ end point of your side walkway? Then it needs a focal point for that walk as well as the back porch I assume.

You have done large driftwood and floats on the side. Stick with your nautical/coastal theme. Park a boat there. With the banana maybe it needs to be an outrigger canoe. Find large shells, beach glass other ocean flotsam. Sprinkle it in the gravel. Go tropical. Mimic a rocky coastline. I'm seeing some large specimen ferns that do well in your area starting to grow and add a touch of green

I'm just pondering the possibilities.

Yes I did the driftwood on the side of the house (to the right of this space). I love your idea of the boat/canoe and extending the beach theme. Thank you.

Ditto what Babs says. Even keeping a gravel driveway modestly clean of organic material is a constant chore.

Before landscaping our yard, we looked at other yards in our community and spoke to folks about the rocks. We live in a community where we pay a lot for water. Most of the yards in our city have rock coverings. We use a vinegar solution to kill any weeds. Thanks for the info, though.