Hello to all

I've been lurking for a month or so trying to get inspiration for the garden
and to try and avoid making too many horrible mistakes. So far I've learned
how not to cut the grass, not to be too paranoid about my compost heap and
that I'm not the only one waging a war with brambles.

Thought I'd better say hello before I start bombarding you with stupid
questions.

Our garden is relatively small and just outside Glasgow - which means it
gets plenty of rain! Our back garden is mainly slabbed with narrow raised
beds running round it (empty), and a couple of small beds near the house.
It's north facing and gets very little light in winter when the sun is low
in the sky, but is quite pleasant at this time of year.

The front is grass, gravel and a nice empty bed that I haven't decided what
to do with yet! As it faces south it's a sun trap (well as much as west
coast Scotland can be). And I can't decide what I hate most: the dandelions
or the slugs.

It's a blank canvas at the moment, and I'm racking my brains with what to do
it. Previously I've relied on annuals in tubs, and although I'll continue
doing that I'll be looking for hints and tips for what to do with the rest
of the thing.

My first priority is to think about climbers for our back fence. I'm
looking for something that will provide screening, particularly in the
summer but I'm at a loss where to start. My initial thought was
clematis(es?), but I'm worried about pruning them and the different types -
as screening is important do I really want something that gets cut back so
much? Then I thought about a mix of honeysuckles...! The climbers would be
covering an area of about 18ft. Colour and scent are as important as the
screening.

I'm also not sure about how best to support whatever I plant. The spans
between the posts are about 5ft - would plastic mesh sag? I thought wire
mesh (either galvanised or plastic coated) would be a better support, but it
looks quite ugly when the plants don't cover it.

Told you there would be lots of stupid questions!