YardRemake

USDA hardiness zone 8

Zone 8 plants and yard ideas

Zone 8 winters stop at ten degrees, so evergreen shrubs like camellia, gardenia and loropetalum carry the yard through winter and the summers are hot and often humid. Cottage perennials that need a cold rest start to struggle here, and Mediterranean plants start to thrive where the soil drains.

Coldest night
10 to 20 °F
the USDA definition of the zone
Rated for zone 8
510 plants
240 of them proven in containers
Typical of
Atlanta, Dallas, Raleigh, Charlotte and Memphis
2023 USDA map · check your ZIP for the exact zone
Design my zone 8 yardUpload a photo; every plant in the result is checked against zone 8.

Styles that suit zone 8

Each one is a real render from our engine. Styles whose plants would not survive a zone 8 winter, or its summer, are not listed.

Plants rated for zone 8

A sample from each group, drawn from the 510 library plants whose stated hardiness range includes zone 8. Every card opens the plant's page with its sources.

Trees and flowering trees · 144 rated

Accolade Elm
Accolade Elm
Ulmus davidiana var. japonica 'Morton'
Shade treeZone 3-9Full sunModerate water
Care details
Arizona Cypress
Arizona Cypress
Cupressus arizonica
EvergreenZone 7-11Full sunLow water
Care details
Common Fig
Common Fig
Ficus carica
Zone 6-9Full sunMedium water
Care details
Fringe Tree
Fringe Tree
Chionanthus virginicus
Flowering treeZone 3-9Full sunMedium water
Care details
Japanese Stewartia
Japanese Stewartia
Stewartia pseudocamellia
BorderZone 5-8Full sunMedium water
Care details
Nuttall Oak
Nuttall Oak
Quercus texana
Shade treeZone 6-9Full sunMedium water
Care details
River Birch
River Birch
Betula nigra
Mass plantingZone 4-9Full sunHigh water
Care details
Swamp White Oak
Swamp White Oak
Quercus bicolor
Shade treeZone 3-8Full sunMedium water
Care details

Shrubs and hedges · 140 rated

American Beautyberry
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
BorderZone 6-12Full sunMedium water
Care details
Brittlebush
Brittlebush
Encelia farinosa
Silver foliageZone 8-11Full sunLow water
Care details
Common Boxwood
Common Boxwood
Buxus sempervirens
AccentZone 5-8Full sunMedium water
Care details
French Lavender
French Lavender
Lavandula dentata
BorderZone 5-9Full sunLow water
Care details
Japanese Holly
Japanese Holly
Ilex crenata
BorderZone 5-8Full sunMedium water
Care details
Mountain Hydrangea
Mountain Hydrangea
Hydrangea serrata
AccentZone 6-9Part shadeMedium water
Care details
Purple Sand Cherry
Purple Sand Cherry
Prunus × cistena
Zone 2-8Full sunMedium water
Care details
Sweet Viburnum
Sweet Viburnum
Viburnum odoratissimum
BarrierZone 7-9Full sunMedium water
Care details

Perennials, grasses and groundcovers · 192 rated

African Daisy
African Daisy
Osteospermum ecklonis
Zone 2-11Full sunMedium water
Care details
Blue Oat Grass
Blue Oat Grass
Helictotrichon sempervirens
BarrierZone 4-8Full sunLow water
Care details
Coral Bells — amber/lime and near-black colourways
Coral Bells — amber/lime and near-black colourways
Heuchera villosa hybrids
Zone 4-9Part shadeMedium water
Care details
Foamflower
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Zone 4-9Part shadeMedium water
Care details
Hollyhock
Hollyhock
Alcea rosea
BorderZone 2-10Full sunMedium water
Care details
Maidenhair Fern
Maidenhair Fern
Adiantum pedatum
Zone 3-8Part shadeMedium water
Care details
Red Hot Poker
Red Hot Poker
Kniphofia uvaria
AccentZone 5-9Full sunMedium water
Care details
Sweet Basil
Sweet Basil
Ocimum basilicum
Mass plantingZone 2-11Full sunMedium water
Care details

Palms and succulents · 24 rated

Adam's Needle Yucca
Adam's Needle Yucca
Yucca filamentosa
AccentZone 5-10Full sunLow water
Care details
Beaked Yucca
Beaked Yucca
Yucca rostrata
AccentZone 5-10Full sunLow water
Care details
Century Plant
Century Plant
Agave americana
AccentZone 8-10Full sunLow water
Care details
Dragon's Blood Stonecrop
Dragon's Blood Stonecrop
Phedimus spurius 'Dragon's Blood'
GroundcoverZone 3-9Full sunLow water
Care details
Ice Plant
Ice Plant
Delosperma cooperi
BorderZone 6-10Full sunLow water
Care details
Prickly Pear Cactus
Prickly Pear Cactus
Opuntia humifusa
BorderZone 4-9Full sunLow water
Care details
San Pedro Cactus
San Pedro Cactus
Echinopsis pachanoi
AccentZone 8-11Full sunLow water
Care details
Soaptree Yucca
Soaptree Yucca
Yucca elata
ArchitecturalZone 6-10Full sunLow water
Care details
Browse all 510 in the plant library →

What winter does here

Frost is normal, deep cold is not. Most zone-8 plants sail through; the losses come from wet winter soil rather than temperature.

A zone is an average of the coldest nights, not a guarantee. The plant pages show a freeze-risk estimate for a specific ZIP when you enter one.

Your yard, your zone

See your own home designed for zone 8

One photo of your yard. The house stays, the yard is restyled, and every plant in the result is a real species that survives a zone 8 winter.

Design my yard

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