From what I know of Japanese Maples, Bamboo's, Elephant ears all require some dapple shaded areas and some moist soil. Depanding on the grasses some also need shade. You want to look at plants that do well in hot, dry climates. There are really good books on dry area plants. You can also speak with your local nurseries for advice and see their plants. Once you know the plants you like, you can sometimes buy the unusal ones online.

If you like bamboo, you might also like nandina. They come in a variety of sizes. It doesn't get as hot here in the Puget Sound area as you experience, but I have a couple of these against the west-facing wall of my house, where they bake all afternoon when it's sunny. We had a very hot summer last year (for around here, that is...) and these plants seemed to love it.

Hi,
I saw your post and thought I would point you in the direction of my Japanese Garden Blog- it's packed full of free information and great pictures , maybe for a bit of inspiration!?

www.japzen.wordpress.com

Hope you like it.

Regards
Japzen

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.japzengardens.org