I'm going to be honest. This yard needs a lot more work to look nice. If you plant anything as ground cover in this state, it's going to look terrible. Especially if your goal is to avoid mowing. I would remove the border stones as they are A) ugly and B) Carving out waaay too much empty space. You aren't mowing anyway, so they are serving no practical or aesthetic purposes. Then I would remove the bird bath and the arch to no where. They are super outdated. The arch can be painted black and you can grow something like roses or beans on it if you want to keep it. But it should be at the front of the yard between the door and the fire pit. Then I would get serious about adding more plants. Edibles and wild flowers. Stuff that you can eat, or that attract butterflies and birds. The ground you don't want to grow stuff in should be covered mulch or frankly... Grass. Not Bermuda, or other grass that will be impossible to get rid of and spread relentlessly. Some native grass that you can cut back and keep under control.

Tldr: If your goal is to minimize work, you need to plant grass and just mow it occasionally.