I knwo a lot of people have asked similar questions, but I thought I'd get a fresh take.

Our backyard is cut into a hill, so the entire back fence is basically a stucco retaining wall. We have beautiful landscaping planted in the ground in front of the wall, but I feel like the wall itself is just a blank canvas.

I'm in Zone 7a. A lot of walls around neighborhoods in my town have gorgeous vines growing on them. I think mostly boston ivy and Virginia creeper. Am I making a mistake if I plant something to grow on my stucco retaining wall? I am thinking since the wall isn't attached to the house, I am at less risk of compromising structural integrity or something important?

If I do plant a vine, what do you guys recommend? To be honest, I am not going to go to the trouble of drilling any support into the wall itself. At most, I would consider buying like a 4-foot tall trellis to get the vine started. Also, I could start the vine either from the bottom so it grows up the wall or start it at the top of the wall so it flows down. I would consider this a full to part sun location.

I can take a photo tomorrow when its daylight again if that would help.