I'm not a fan of gravel. It might look nice-ish the first few years, but after a while dirt and organic matter blown/washed in by wind and rain collects between the particles and essentially creates soil that grows weeds. So landscape fabric underneath is a total waste in that regard too (it doés help in keeping the soil and gravel separated and prevent the stones from sinking into the soil).
It's also a hassle to plant in indeed: remove gravel, cut a cross and flip over the fabric, dig the hole and dump it in a bucket (because of reasons mentioned above), backfill, flip fabric over again etc....just sucks the fun out of the best part of gardening really.
If I were you: gone with the lot and start fresh on actual, good ol soil
But why does it need reviving? What specifically is going wrong?
