Forget the zones and plant what you enjoy! Rob, aka. MountainGrown, lives up on the Plateau in NE Tennessee and it gets REALLY cold up there. His place looks like Miami! It's tropically awesome!!!

Monroe County is most likely a 7a but the closer you get to the state line and the Smokies the zones change to 6's & 5's. Chattanooga is closer to a 6 but Signal and Lookout Mountains are probably more like a 4 at the top. You'll have micro climates in your own yard too. Just don't get so caught up in it that you deprive yourself of something you really like. Take a shot! Be bold!!!

Check out these links:
www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html
www.ahs.org/publications/heat_zone_map.htm
http://ww4.bhg.com/bhg/category.jhtml?catref=cat170008
http://www.pallensmith.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=102

The USDA Map isn't the be-all end-all of zone maps either! And they change a little bit every year too.

LOL I am kind of like that too..just need to figure out what to bring in...as I lost some this past winter...( didn't know what I had or what to do with it) LOL
I just thought it was odd when I respond to seeds and someone from NV says since I am in the same zone..these seeds should grow?? LOL
Thanks Jeff....

Thanks for all the zone links, Jeff. The weather is so warm this winter it seems like the tropics here.