If your residence is on the second story, ask for permission to plant the vine in the soil of the first-floor tenant. You can train annual vines like morning glories or hyacinth beans discreetly up a post or other support, making it unobtrusive to the first-floor resident. Annual vines can grow along shrubs without consuming them, as the root systems are shallow and the plants are only large for a couple of months. Choose a delicate specimen like cypress vine, which will attract hummingbirds throughout the summer months while permitting light to reach the foliage of the shrub underneath. Suitable vines for mailbox gardens include black-eyed Susan vine, sweet pea, or nasturtium. Add some bird netting to the post of your mailbox to help twining vines find a purchase.
