Welcome to the WS forum tinki!! There's a great list of what types of annual/perennial flowers as well as veggies adapt well to winter sowing. If you read the FAQs at the top of this forum, you'll find the lists separated by zone. I'm zone 5/6 so the things that are winter hardy for me are different from what will survive the winter in your zone 8. By the same token, what likes a bit of cool weather may not do well in your hot summers--things like lupine, columbine, astilbe, coral bells, lady's mantle and dianthus to name a few. Some seeds also require cold stratification in order to sprout.
I'm sure others will chime in with plant recommendations. There's lots to learn but this is the best place to come for answers.
Happy gardening!
Eileen

Rudbeckia's did best for me. I WS about six different kinds. Four of the six are now blooming.