Is It Tough Enough?...  

Cacti are good but they don't like cold so they have to be moved, cacti do flower but not often and normally one flower per plant. Maybe something that likes tropical sun like a bird of paradise but again they may not like the cold of winter so they may need to come in. Ornamental grass is good too.

What about a desert rose? We have those in pots at the entrance of our neighborhood. I live in Florida and we are experiencing a drought, but the desert roses at the entrances are doing great! They have the prettiest flowers on them.

You bring them in during the winter.

My grandmother had a couple of cactus plants inside the house, and they did bloom at times.

As far as other plants, you would have to check on what likes a lot of sun.

Are you sure it is the sun? Maybe it is the soil. I have a lot of plants in pots here since I dont have a yard. The problem with plants in pots is they lose water so fast. There are some potting soils which have water holding additives. Some times the direct sun for long periods of time will hurt these plants. Do you have a plant nursery there? There are some plants that do well in hot, dry conditions. Ask the nursery people or the county agents what might be good for where you are.

I have daisies and mini roses and mexican heather In my flower bed closest to the poarch they do real good I have found if ya water them in the late afternoon they will not burn as much

Is the pots your putting them in big enough? They do need alot of root growth room and if they don't have that room they swivel up and die. Or it could be to hot and if you use plastic pots it could be cooking the roots because they are getting to much heat. I love putting plants on my porch but then so do the cats and they always are knocking them off. Have you thought that instead of using pots to use wooden flower boxes? That might help some as long as it is big enough to handle the root system. Also watering them to much can cause root rot which will also effect the plant. Did you fertilize them any? If so you may have used to much that can burn a plant up. But since it gets direct heat I would try moving them out of the direct sunlight after a few hours. Like at the hottest part of the day and then moving them back after the sun isn't so strong again..here where I live the sun is the strongest between 1-3 p.m. I hope and wish you the best of luck if you decide to try this again and hope something works out because there is nothing better then a ripe juicy tomatoe right off the vine. They are some flowering cactus but I don't recall the names my sister in law ha one and so does a neighbor.

Could you put up bamboo shades on the side that gets the most sun? That may help.

We have the same situation, but we spent less than $20 USD and fixed it with a removable roll-up shade. If you care to see a photo, I have one on my blog:

http://drann.typepad.com/...

Before, even hubby's beloved geranium plant got nuked, but now the geranium is blooming away. It gets some morning sun, but in the afternoon we pull the blind down as shown, and although there is still plenty of light, it is cooler and more subdued. The shade pays for itself by cutting down our air conditioning costs, as well.

I, personally, don't care much for cactus. But there are any number of plants that love full sun.
Roses do well, also sunflowers, salvia, daisys, althea. Lots of color is possible in direct sunlight. Tomato plants burn up pretty quickly.
I put althea and roses and mexican evening primrose in my backyard as it gets full direct afternoon sun. Between that and my crazy dog almost nothing survives that isn't hardy enough.
Also daylillies do well there.

Yes, I've opted for cactus like plants in pots before... but I wonder if you covered the soil with lots of mulch or grass clippings if that would keep the plants cool enough and slow the evaporation of the water.. or maybe a hose left dribbling into each pot for a bit each day..?? I would think you would have to bring cactus' in over the winter, as winter doesn't sound like anything they're compatible with, but I'm not really sure.. Either way, Good luck! Hope you find lots or=f ways and lots of blooms and all..