• Montbretia is a colorful, deer-resistant plant that thrives in Zone 8.crocosmia image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com
  
  When planning a garden or landscape, gardeners focus on plants that can withstand the winter temperatures that typically occur in their areas. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map delineates planting areas based on minimum winter temperatures. In Zone 8, the minimum winter temperature falls between 10 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Numerous ground covers, herbaceous perennials and shrubs are well suited for planting in Zone 8. Annuals die back in the fall and reseed in the spring; when planting annuals, hardiness zones are not used to determine suitability.
  
  

Mazus

• Mazus (Mazus reptans), a herbaceous perennial with lavender or pale purple-blue flowers, grows just 3 inches tall with a spread of 6 to 12 inches. Mazus serves as a ground cover in a flower bed, between pathway stones or in shaded rock gardens. Mazus thrives in full sun or partial shade and damp or slightly wet soil conditions. This plant is hardy in Zones 5 through 8. In the warmer Zone 8, mazus retains its green leaves year-round.
  
  

Montbretia

• Montbretia (Crocosmia aurea), a member of the iris family, bears long, bright-green, sword-shaped leaves that grow 3 feet tall from a bulbous root system called corms. The small, bright-orange flowers bloom between July and August. Montbretia thrives in dappled shade or full sun and sandy or loamy soil conditions. In deer-plagued areas, montbretia is rarely troubled. This plant thrives in Zone 8 with little additional care. Propagate by division of the corms in the spring.
  
  

Japanese Banana

• Japanese banana (Musa basjoo) is cold-hardy banana plant that grows well in Zone 8. Japanese banana plants have the broad, green leaves characteristic of the tropical banana. While successful fruit production is unlikely, a Japanese banana plant adds a tropical element in cool-climate gardens. The plants grow 9 feet tall with a spread of about 6 feet. A position in full sun with loamy or sandy soil is ideal. Wind protection is crucial to protect the delicate leaves from tearing.
  
  

Hellebore

• Hellebore (Helleborus orientalis), a shade-loving herbaceous perennial that grows 12 to 18 inches tall, produces small flowers that bloom in shades of white, pink and pale purple. An early bloomer, hellebore begins to flower in early April. Plant as a border in a shaded garden bed, en masse in a wild area or under shrubs and landscape trees. Hellebore thrives in rich, well-draining soil and an area that gets some protection from cold winter winds. This plant grows in Zones 4 through 9.
  
  

Oakleaf Hydrangea

• Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) grows 6 to 8 feet tall with a spread of 6 to 8 feet. This deciduous shrub produces white and pale purple-pink flowers between May and July, set against a backdrop of oak leaf-shaped green foliage. In the fall, after the flowers fade, the foliage turns orange, bronze and deep-red colors. Both a flowering and a foliage shrub, the oakleaf hydrangea is ever-present in the Zone 8 landscape. Full sun or partial shade and fertile soil are ideal.