Q.mounds/berms
I hired two guys to landscape my yard. They put three mounds or berms in my small front yard. I have some grass coming through and they don’t have any borders so they stick up pretty high and look funny. What can I do? They abandoned the job and took my money so I have to try to fix my yard. They put ugly shrubs and some kind of grass in the berms and nothing else. I wanted a cottage look with lots of color, but they didn’t do that. I can’t afford to hire anyone else now and they just left high and dry after they got my money.
I'm sorry you were taken advantage of.
You actually may have a good base of a garden area to work with.
Shrubs and ornamental grasses can be a good base and you can add color and the cottage feel your looking for with perennials.
Perennials can be purchased at garden centers and greenhouses quite inexpensively. Even Farmer's Markets are a great place to shop.
You don't have to buy large plants, starting with small plants can be quite economical and they will grow and fill in the space generally in 1 or 2 seasons.
I'm listing a few articles to give you some ideas and help you get started.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/spaces/creating-and-using-berms-in-the-landscape.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/fgen/gardening-with-perennials.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/perennial-garden-plants.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/spaces/learn-to-plant-a-basic-english-cottage-garden.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/spaces/connecting-the-garden-with-its-surroundings.htm