Help pick deck plants

I have a brand new deck that faces north. It's 14 x 32 ft, covered! The narrow ends are west and east. We are N.W of Austin about 60 miles.
I was wanting to use plants to shield the west end from the road and sun. 1st pic…It's already partially shaded by a big Chinese Parasol (left just out of the picture) tree and the Mexican buckeye (little tree in the pic). Pic 2 is facing east. The east end is shaded by the trash trees. (I don't know what they are actually called, but they are taller than the deck)

I bought the ferns because they were $3 to see if I liked them. I don't think they will do well because of the sun and the wind blew them all over.

Any suggestions?
In ground trees/ bushes? (Clay soil, large sandstone, very little water, shade from the Chinese P tree, the deck is about 4 ft off the ground)
Potted trees? Potted grasses? Potted vines?

Before you give me suggestions a little about me. I kill a lot of plants. I try but they die. I'm a stickler for the drought rules about not watering etc. (except my oaks I've lost too many already or new trees) I have chickens, cat, and a stupid dog. So nothing poisonous. I'm also broke, because this deck is expensive!

Also any fun suggestions for me to try for in containers to make the deck cozy? I was thinking maybe Bay Laurel because I love cooking.