My favorite hardy plants that look tropical: catalpa, especially with the unique hanging seed pods. petasites, rhubarb, hostas Vinca minor 'illumination' is a unique yellow/green variegated groundcover. Sambucus racemosa Sutherland (Sutherland golden elder) Sumac hardy grasses tend to look tropical, Paulownia (empress tree) grown as a stool (cut to the ground each year, keep to a single trunk and it will get huge leaves). colorful barberry's such as cherry bomb or gold nugget. I read that in general, we tend to think of plants with overly fine foliage, overly colorful foliage, or overly big and bold foliage, as being tropical in appearance. On that note, maybe even garden asparagus with it's fine ferny foliage might add to the tropical look. Also, there are different types of tropical climates. Plants like yucca glauca/yucca filamentosa, hens and chicks might add to the desert tropical look. Last year I grew these in pots beside a red cordyline. The fun thing is to combine hardy plants with real tropicals and I agree, a few cannas, banana plants, even a palm tree bought in the houseplant section of the local store adds to the tropical look. Add flowering annuals, since most originate from the tropics such as hot colored marigolds, petunias, basically what ever you like. Anything vining tends to look tropical such as clematis and other vines. For a quick growing annual vine try hyacinth bean with it's red flowers (and edible beans afterward). I also have a copper plant which was in the 'proven winners' section at the local nursery. I found out it's actually a tropical shrub so I overwintered as a houseplant and it's going back outside this summer. Glen

ah gotcha thanks for the info! heres what ive collected so far on my list for my situation. Asarabacca Ferns: Adiantum aleuticum (western maidenhair fern) Asplenium trichomanes  (Maidenhair Spleenwort) Athyrium filix-femina  (Lady Fern) Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum'  (Japanese Painted Fern) Osmunda regalis (Royal Fern) Polypodium vulgare - Common Polypody Polystichum acrostichoides - Christmas Fern Polystichum braunii - Braun's Holly Fern Palms: Sabal minor (Dwarf Palmetto) Cycas revoluta (Sago Palm) Zamia furfuracea (Cardboard Palm) Dracaena draco (Dragon's Blood Tree) Quisqualis indica (Rangoon Creeper)

This may not seem like what you want AT ALL, but young Southern Magnolia leaves are close to the same texture, size and glossiness. But will only be small for a year or 2. When I first planted mine it reminded me of what (for me) is a houseplant. Are you sure that in your zone 8 they can't be protected in-ground with a small greenhouse type structure with heat cables? My mom's friend plants Cannas in the ground in zone 6 near her house, she has heated floors and the Cannas are right next to the house. I would go to Wally mart and get a houseplant and try some sort of protective structure and some lights. My Wally mart has them for 6-8 $ for a small potted Croton. Yeah, maybe I don't know your weather good enough, but I'm zone 6 and zone 8 seems like the tropics.

As Don said, it's not the cold that kills alot of plants - it's the constant moisture. I have a neighbor that has cannas planted 12" deep, on the south side next to his house, and he never digs them. They multiply each year and he has a very large area of them, all started 10 years ago, when he forgot to bring two tubers in. I was told by a greenhouse grower in my area that he has had great success with elephant ears, by putting plastic over them (leaves them in the ground), and piling manure about a foot deep over the plastic. His ee's are HUGE and multiply rapidly. He has never dug them to overwinter them. I would just experiment with covering the crowns of different things, mulching them deeply, and see what successes you have.