Do all the compound leaves have an even number of leaflets (missing a single terminal leaflet) like the two clearest in the close-up? If so, they don't match Sophora since both s. secundiflora and s. affinis have odd numbers of leaflets. Hope it's a quirk of the photo because thornless alternatives seem scarce otherwise.

I've had one in an even larger pot than that, 18 or 20 inches, for many years. I move it out after last frost and in before first frost. I keep it fairly well cut back, and get all the bay leaves we could ever use in a year with one plant, and we actually use quite a lot (my wife is Russian, makes lots of soups, and even uses them cooking noodles and things). The main base is maybe 3 to 4-inches across. I use a good potting mix, and each spring I consider whether it sits high enough in the pot, dumping out the whole thing, adding fresh potting soil in the bottom of the pot, replacing the main mass, then filling in around the edges with fresh potting soil to be no more than about an inch below the lip of the pot. Remember that this is a tree, or at least a significant bush. Don't restrict it too much. A smaller pot may work for a year or so, but if you want it to go for the long haul, may require a larger pot. I also keep a yerba mate tree in a pot the same way, as well as multiple lemon verbena and stevia bushes that don't hold up well to winter and need to be moved in.

The native Coontie cycad is smaller than sago palms,not sharp, and easier imo I grow them both in full sun and full shade. It sounds perfect for this. A very mature one might be more than 2 feet wide though (but again these grow pretty slowly).... Coral fountain plant might work here and there to tuck into places for flowers+textural interest. I grow some of mine in full shade but they are also a popular plant in Texas approved for full sun xeriscaping. If it weren't for the size limits I'd recc Firebush and Firespikes. I'd say they are containable, would not need more than an annual prune (assuming the Firebush doesn't die back) if their growth rate in Tampa is same as here. Firespikes hate full sun but mine tolerate it surprisingly well, they just will look upset... that's why I like to grow them under my unpruned firebushes (I just annually trim them a lil so they remain shorter than the bushes). Leadwort also probably gets too big but it doesnt mind hot sun nor a lot a shade. Begonia & Impatiens can work in shade but the sun part in the summer might be a dealbreaker without being protected by a larger plant overhead. An attractive large container and some other hardscaping features might help? My container dwarf figs go dormant in my zone 9 yard so they should not mind full shade in winter for example. Also I'd be careful with elephant ear.. they're a pretty nasty invasive species unless you get one of the tamer cultivars. I have a tamer cultivar (Black Coral) and even I keep it in a container, I see so many spread to forests around here.

In my yard I have an Annabelle (same species as Incrediball) that gets sun from about 9:30 am until 2 pm. It will wilt if we have a dry period. So my experience is that they do better with shade during the hottest part of the day, even in my area where it only occasionally reaches the 90’s and cools down at night. Bloomstruck is a macrophylla aka bigleaf hydrangea. They tend to do best in maritime climates. Tootsie’s comments are spot on for this species in many parts of the country, so unless you live on Long Island or Cape Cod or in the PNW or similar climates that have water masses to moderate temperature swings, you may not find these easy to grow and get successful flowering many years. In my area paniculata hydrangeas do well in full sun, but in KS you may want to give them some shade during the very hottest part of the day. The ones Billy listed are all quite large, 8’-12’, depending on the cultivar, but there are smaller ones ranging from Bobo at 3’-4’to midsized ones such as Little Quickfire, Little Lime, Little Lamb that are in the 5’-6’ range.