Help! Overwhelmed by new garden...

[dilbertina]

I am fortunate enough to have just moved to a new house which has an absolutely wonderful large mature garden with just about everything it's possible to have in a garden in it....masses of flowering borders, fruit, veg, climbers, lawns...i do enjoy gardening but I've only ever had smallish gardens before and don't really know where to start...

Could you proper gardener-types tell me what jobs you are concentrating on right now?

Given the weather, I'm just about keeping on top of weed and mollusc invasions! Deadheading and gathering ripe fruit/veg on a daily basis, lawn mowing/edges are done when the weather allows.

In your position, I'd be taking lots of photographs as you may need them as a memory aid when you come to plan/make any changes later in the year. Also keep a note of what you like/dislike and what you think works or not.

mowing
weeding
deadheading roses
picking fruit

Try rhs website though ignore the singularly useless advice about coping with drought lol.
www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening

beware of 'help' that comes with a hedge cutter: he (usually) will just trim all of your lovely shrubs into neat balls and ruin them forever.

Keep on top of the mowing & weeding so it doesn't get any more out of hand. It is a good idea to take photos do that you can do jobs through the first winter to get on top of it for next year, you're bound to forget what was where once stuff has died back.
If you have any shrubs that have already flowered then prune them back now to a manageable size. Early flowerers bloom on last season's growth so it's the ideal time to get them down to a manageable size & have flowers next year.
Try never to walk past a weed, just pull it out as you pass.
Find a website or magazine, like Gardener's World, that gives tips on what jobs to do month by month.
This is the hardest time of year when you have a very big garden. I'm only just keeping on top of jobs, this weather doesn't help. Feels like painting the Forth Bridge, while you're getting one part sorted other bits are going mad behind you!!

Ooh I was going to recommend Gardeners World as well! I find it really handy (although I never have enough time, it helps me prioritise).

I get mine using tesco vouchers, a year's sub is only £14 of vouchers IIRC.