While enjoying the cool evening air, I was inspired to create a wall of green along one side of the patio. The challenge here is that the wall is brick and there is not an obvious way of attaching shelving or other structures to it.

One possibility is to hang a dowel out the upper windows that look down upon the patio. I could then string a support between the dowel and the railing, from which to hang plants. Seems like a lot of effort for a rental, but would probably be rewarding in the end!