There is going to have to be netting around it so the birds don't get to it, any suggestions on netting that doesn't look obtrusive? or other materials that would work?

Can you give us a picture of the pot? I suspect we could come up with an idea if we knew the size and scope of the planting.

One odd way to hide netting is to make it large but uncolorful. Chicken wire is easy to shape and black or dark green bird netting is about as invisible as you can get. It's not perfect, but...

I use very thin black netting. It blends in from more than 8-10 feet away. Once you put it up, it's surprisingly less obtrusive than you'd think.