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Zone 8 Plants

USDA hardiness zone 8 covers places where an average winter bottoms out at 10 to 20°F. 2,587 species in our library survive it. Below is a sample of them, with mature size, spacing and a nursery price estimate.

Not sure which zone you are in? Look it up by ZIP code

Zone 8a and zone 8b

Both halves grow the same plants — hardiness ranges in our library are whole numbers — but they are not the same winter. Zone 8a bottoms out around 10 to 15°F and 8b around 15 to 20°F. The colder half freezes earlier in autumn and thaws later in spring, so the same plant goes in the ground a week or two later there.

What is actually hard about zone 8

Most of what fails in zone 8 fails in July, not January. A plant rated hardy to zone 8 has been tested against the winter, and that rating says nothing about whether it holds up through weeks of heat with warm, wet nights. Humidity and the fungal problems that come with it thin this list far more than frost does.

Showing 36 of 2,587, sorted to span the back, middle and front of a bed.

Zone 8

Typical annual minimum temperature: 10 to 20°F

2,587 species in our library match this zone and light

  • Chinese Abelia

    Abelia chinensis

    shrub
    Zones
    7–9
    Spacing
    4–6 ft
    Mature height
    5–8 ft
    Est. price
    $40–85

  • Heart-Leafed Hibiscus

    Hibiscus martianus

    shrub
    Zones
    8–8
    Spacing
    1–3 ft
    Mature height
    1–3 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Daffodil Garlic

    Allium neapolitanum

    perennial
    Zones
    7–9
    Spacing
    1–2 ft
    Mature height
    0.5–1.5 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Japanese Spikenard

    Aralia cordata 'Sun King'

    perennial
    Zones
    4–8
    Spacing
    3–6 ft
    Mature height
    3–6 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Blue False Indigo

    Baptisia australis

    perennial
    Zones
    3–9
    Spacing
    3–4 ft
    Mature height
    3–4 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Creeping Phlox

    Phlox subulata

    groundcover
    Zones
    3–9
    Spacing
    1–3 ft
    Mature height
    0.25–0.5 ft
    Est. price
    $5–12

  • Chinese Gooseberry

    Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa

    vine
    Zones
    7–9
    Spacing
    6–10 ft
    Mature height
    15–30 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Bluestem

    Anatherum glomeratum

    grass
    Zones
    7–9
    Spacing
    2–3 ft
    Mature height
    3–6 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Kozu Spice Orchid

    Calanthe 'Kozu Spice'

    perennial
    Zones
    7–9
    Spacing
    0.5–1 ft
    Mature height
    0.5–1 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20
  • Northwind Switchgrass

    Panicum virgatum 'Northwind'

    grass
    Zones
    5–9
    Spacing
    2–3 ft
    Mature height
    4–5 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Bleeding Heart

    Lamprocapnos spectabilis

    perennial
    Zones
    3–9
    Spacing
    1–3 ft
    Mature height
    2–3 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Cimbru

    Satureja hortensis

    perennial
    Zones
    2–11
    Spacing
    1–3 ft
    Mature height
    1.5 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Coast Leucothoe

    Agarista populifolia

    shrub
    Zones
    7–9
    Spacing
    5–6 ft
    Mature height
    8–12 ft
    Est. price
    $60–150

  • Harland Boxwood

    Buxus harlandii

    shrub
    Zones
    7–9
    Spacing
    4–6 ft
    Mature height
    4–6 ft
    Est. price
    $40–85

  • Curly Sedge

    Carex albula

    grass
    Zones
    7–9
    Spacing
    1–1.5 ft
    Mature height
    0.83–1.5 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Flying Saucers

    Ipomoea tricolor

    vine
    Zones
    2–12
    Spacing
    3–6 ft
    Mature height
    8–10 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Eastern Red Columbine

    Aquilegia canadensis

    perennial
    Zones
    3–8
    Spacing
    1–1.5 ft
    Mature height
    2–3 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Blunt-lobed Cliff Fern

    Woodsia obtusa

    perennial
    Zones
    1–10
    Spacing
    2–2.5 ft
    Mature height
    1–1.5 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Media Mahonia

    Berberis x hortensis

    shrub
    Zones
    7–9
    Spacing
    3–9 ft
    Mature height
    3–13 ft
    Est. price
    $60–150

  • Chinese Leadwort

    Ceratostigma willmottianum

    shrub
    Zones
    7–9
    Spacing
    2–4 ft
    Mature height
    2–4.25 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Greek Cyclamen

    Cyclamen graecum

    perennial
    Zones
    7–9
    Spacing
    0.33–1 ft
    Mature height
    0.17–0.33 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Everlasting Pea

    Lathyrus

    vine
    Zones
    2–11
    Spacing
    1–3 ft
    Mature height
    1–9 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Deutschland Astilbe

    Astilbe japonica 'Deutschland'

    perennial
    Zones
    4–9
    Spacing
    1.5–2 ft
    Mature height
    1.5–2 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Cranesbill

    Geranium maculatum

    groundcover
    Zones
    3–11
    Spacing
    1–1.5 ft
    Mature height
    1.17–1.5 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Camellia

    Camellia japonica

    shrub
    Zones
    7–9
    Spacing
    5–10 ft
    Mature height
    10–13 ft
    Est. price
    $60–150

  • Batesburg Hawthorn

    Crataegus munda

    shrub
    Zones
    7–9
    Spacing
    2–4 ft
    Mature height
    3–5 ft
    Est. price
    $40–85

  • Alpine Heath

    Erica carnea

    shrub
    Zones
    7–9
    Spacing
    0.5–1.5 ft
    Mature height
    0.5–1 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Virginia Creeper

    Parthenocissus quinquefolia

    vine
    Zones
    3–10
    Spacing
    5–10 ft
    Mature height
    30–50 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Eastern Wood Fern

    Dryopteris marginalis

    perennial
    Zones
    3–8
    Spacing
    1.5–3 ft
    Mature height
    1.5–2 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Ajuga

    Ajuga reptans

    groundcover
    Zones
    3–10
    Spacing
    0.5–1 ft
    Mature height
    0.5–1 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Camellia japonica 'Kramer's Supreme'

    Camellia japonica 'Kramer's Supreme'

    tree
    Zones
    7–9
    Spacing
    6–10 ft
    Mature height
    8–10 ft
    Est. price
    $60–150

  • Alexandria laurel

    Danae racemosa

    shrub
    Zones
    7–9
    Spacing
    3–4 ft
    Mature height
    2–4 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Alpine Wallflower

    Erysimum linifolium

    perennial
    Zones
    7–9
    Spacing
    0.5–1 ft
    Mature height
    0.5–1.5 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Baltimore Belle rose

    Rosa 'Belle de Baltimore'

    perennial
    Zones
    4–11
    Spacing
    6–10 ft
    Mature height
    8–13 ft
    Est. price
    $24–55

  • Blazing Star 'Kobold'

    Liatris spicata 'Kobold'

    perennial
    Zones
    3–8
    Spacing
    0.5–1 ft
    Mature height
    1.5–2.5 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

  • Alpine Violet

    Cyclamen

    perennial
    Zones
    4–11
    Spacing
    0.67–1 ft
    Mature height
    0.33–1 ft
    Est. price
    $8–20

Put these in your own yard

Upload a photo of the space and get a design back using plants that survive your winter.

Design a garden for zone 8

Neighbouring zones

Zone 7 — one step colderZone 9 — one step milder

Where these numbers come from

Zone boundaries come from PRISM Climate Group's 2023 plant-hardiness dataset at Oregon State University, covering 40,502 US ZIP codes. Hardiness range, light requirement and mature size are checked against the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and the NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.

Price is an estimate sampled from published 2026 nursery price lists by container size, and varies by region, season and supplier. This is not the official USDA map and it cannot account for soil, drainage, wind, local microclimates or planting restrictions. Confirm a final purchase with a local nursery.