Gardening and all that jazz

Dave and I were working out in our yard yesterday and discovered a couple plants/shrubs/weeds that we're unsure about. We don't know what plants go dormant for the winter then come back in the spring but if it was up to me, I'd rip it all out (except the bushes) and start over. Dave and I want our yard to look neat and less cluttered. So, I am enlisting the help of my blog readers/followers to help us! I have posted a couple pictures in hopes you could tell me, 1) What it is and 2) What we should do with it. Let the ideas begin!

Please let us know what you think :)