There are many choices for heat-lovers that would do well in your large pots. Cannas, ornamental grasses, euphorbias, drought resistant shrubs like barberry and junipers and perennials with long bloom times such as coreopsis and dwarf daylilies. I suggest you visit a local nursery to find out what does best in the humid heat of your climate zone and mix it up - use evergreens, perennials, grasses and a few annuals to create a diverse and colorful container planting. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti