I'm brand new at all this and am finding so many tips and helpful suggestions reading these posts. I have a lovely apartment with a generous SW-facing balcony (13.5 feet wide, 8 feet deep). There are two lovely trees off my second story which will hopefully shade me somewhat from the oppressive afternoon sun mid-summer here in the northern Dallas area. But the railing is the standard iron and the apartment policy won't allow bamboo blinds, shutters, or anything of the like to block the parkinglot glares and stares from below. So I'm hoping to shade my balcony (and hide) with a plethora of plants along the inside of the railing. I thought about building an 8ft long, 12in tall table using an old iron porch post (the foo foo kind with grape leaves and curlyq's) as the table top and some decorative foo foo iron shelf brackets as the legs, all painted black or antique bronze and polycoated to protect it. Then setting lovely potted plants on and along either side of it. But where do I even start? I have so many questions, being such a newbie, I know nothing about what plants are best suited for the heat in the mid-day sun (which I will get for about 2 hours, full strength). Which plants will flower and not attract bees and mosquitos, and which will possibly even repell the nasty flying pests? I want citronella, as I've heard it's good to repell mosquitos, but I don't know if it's good for this heat/climate/zone, and I'd like something bushy (hiding factor) and floral, but again, no insects, please. Are my desires just too contradictory? I need help from you veterans, please!