Novice Gardener

Morning all,

I am sat with a coffee looking into the garden of my new without a clue how to fix anything. There is a flowerbed full of wilted plants, a big lawn that's more dead patches of mud than actual grass. I do have a flowering clematis though so that's one thing! I feel stupid texting my family saying "are these plants dead"? "where do I cut this plant so it flowers again?" I want the garden to be my little project but I am just so confused about what to do and where to start..