Regarding your first question, birds got too many of my blackberries last year, and I discovered that just throwing bird netting over the berries creates a tangled mess that still doesn't give great protection. So, this year I built a bird screen using PVC tubing over rebar as posts. I then used fittings to connect the ends of the posts to horizontal pieces of PVC tubing, creating a rectangular frame, which I covered with bird netting. With the netting raised over the berries, I can keep the birds out without getting everything tangled up. I pinned down the edges of the netting at the sides and back so birds won't hop under it. Then, for the front, I attached the bottom edge of the net to two long pieces of PVC pipe and used them as weights to hold the front down. When I want to go in, I just lift up the pipe in front and duck under. I can also roll the netting up around the front pipes, hang it from some clips that I attached to the top front part of the frame, and leave it open when the flowers are in bloom so that the bees can get in to pollinate them. The whole thing cost about $60 at Home Depot and took about an hour and a half to build. If I can figure out how to attach pictures here, I can post a photo so you can see what I mean. Regarding your second question, my Darrows have primocanes up, but you're in a different zone than I am and I don't have any experience with Kiowa, so I can't help much. Good luck! Rob

You could water your container plants by hand to keep the hose water from splattering the dirt all over. By watering your container plants "slowly" by hand until the soil absorbs it, will keep the water from pushing the soil or the sides. As for what do grow in them now, you could purchase plants at a nursery that are well established. Keeping "delicate containers" such as wicker baskets, straw hats, etc. "clean," if you have no fond memories of what you're using for containers, then I wouldn't worry about it and just know that they are going to get damaged to the point you might have to throw them away at the end of the season.

I love what has been shown here as suggestions. I can't wait to see what you do. (And I'm following red neck chic now. Cool blog.) If you decoupage it may not last outside (even on a covered porch)UNLESS you use lazertran transfer paper to make decals and then apply them with oil based varnish. I've just learned more about this technique and will report more when I've experimented. Just wanted to mention it since decoupage was brought up as a possibility. Kathy

conifers are trees... and trees are NOT houseplants.. simply by definition.. even bonsai is better off outside ... i see no reason why you could not make it a balcony plant.. and simply bring it in now and then ... i dont really claim any expertise on potted conifers.. but you will need a high drainage.. low peat potting soil ... I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS IS A GOOD TIME OF YEAR TO REPOT IN YOUR AREA ... perhaps bboy can help there ... the trick on the balcony.. is to allow the sun on the plant.. but protect the pot from the sun ... wild fluctuations of temps on a black pot.. can cause root damage ... so if you put your pot inside a decorative clay pot ... so that there is an air buffer .. and lower soil heating.. you may get away with it ... in my frozen great white north.. what would kill it indoors is insufficient light [especially with the newer windows which block UV light] ... and lack of humidity from the forced air furnace ... among a lot of other things ... if you were to repot.. you might want to look into a cactus mix .... lots of sand and large chunks of bark and low peat .... which allows most water to run out ... err toward the side of a dry soil .. over a wet tropic soil like most houseplants prefer ... this is not a plant you would be watering every few day ... MAYBE every couple weeks ... but the bottom line.. you only have a few bucks invested.. have fun.. love it up.. but dont be surprised if you fail .. so what.. you had some fun ... ken