Hardiness zones can be misleading. 8b means that the area experiences average low winter temps of 15-20 degrees F, but it tells nothing about the high temps and summer conditions, and the suitability of a warm season grasses. Most of Great Britain is 8 or higher, with some coastal areas being 10a, same as areas in South Florida, and the deep southwest, but I think you will agree the two areas in summer are vastly different, and you should never grow Bermuda in Great Britain. Coastal British Columbia benefits from warm Pacific currents that keep the winters relatively mild, but summers are also mild to warm, the same as our pacific northwest. Any cool season grass would be acceptable where you live, the amount of sun is going to be the main issue with your choice. How many hours of direct sun does the area get on a typical cloudless summer day?

I've seen gardeners out on Jacksonville Beach and Amelia Island (zone 9a) attempting to grow Queen, Pygmy Date, Areca and Foxtail Palms and they don't look as good as Orlando, St. Pete, Melbourne and southward. They look "rough". Queen Palms are nutrient hogs--I know from personal experience. What does look great are the Pindo Palms though! You could attempt a Mule Palm--a cross between the Queen and Pindo palm.

Yes, I grow two types of red raspberry plants here in Citrus County, Mysore & Caroline Red Raspberry and they do well for me. I'm located one mile north of the Hernando County line and one mile west of the Sumter County line

^ Omar - But you do monitor all the areas outside of your yard where birds may be dispersing its seeds in their bombs far away? All Ligustrums are highly-invasive...and YES, including the variegated form of Chinese Ligustrum! More from the site linked above: "Many of my neighbors have the variegated form of Chinese ligustrum (Ligustrum sinense) in their yards. Almost everyone will agree that it makes an attractive contrast in color when planted among dark green shrubs in the landscape. A visit to a nursery will tempt unwary customers to purchase the attractive plant. Several attractive cultivars have been developed. Buyer, beware! Just down the street, I see instances where more than half of a variegated shrub has reverted to solid green. These solid green stems bear hundreds of berries that are carried as far away from the plants as birds can fly. A member of the olive family (Oleaceae), this plant was introduced in the United States as an ornamental in 1852. By 1933 it had become naturalized, and not long afterwards it was recognized for the noxious weed it is. Maturing to about 12 feet tall and wide, the shrub is hardy to Zone 6. Ability to grow in sun or heavy shade in either wet places or drier upland sites makes it adaptable to a wide range of growing conditions. It is a quick invader of disturbed sites and can even grow in the crack of a sidewalk. Capable of forming dense, impenetrable, monocultural thickets, the shrub can dominate the shrub layer of an invaded habitat and alter the ecosystem by choking out native plants. Almost all states within its range list Ligustrum sinense as an invasive plant. Mississippi State University lists it as one of Mississippi’s ten worst invasive weeds. The Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council also has it on its top ten, and the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council lists it as a Category I exotic invasive plant. Tennessee and Kentucky list it as a severe threat, and it is on Virginia’s list of highly invasive plants. Texas, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina, have placed Ligustrum sinense on an exotic invasive list of some type. Herbarium records show current distributions extending from Florida to southern New England and westward to the eastern parts of Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma." I just don't see why anyone should risk planting from that whole invasive genus when there are so many better options available? Thing is, the only real solution to invasives...is prevention.