It's gotten away from us!

In the 20 years that we've been here the surrounding trees have cut down tremendously on the sunlight that reaches it. (Western North Carolina)

It seems to me that most of this stuff needs to be DEEPLY removed since the euonymous and horse nettle have underground networks that defy removal. The herbs and garlic chives can be easily replaced.

Some of this should be retained - e.g. the weeping red beech, dwarf nandinas and otto luyken laurel (several of which at the left are not pictures). There's only one new little azalea we'd like to keep, but the other ones are old and woody and won't be missed.

What would you recommend we plant that would require the least maintenance...and, hopefully, provide some resistance to weed plant invasion?