Buford Holly is not risky in Nashville. You would not believe the crazy things nurseries have told me which are just plain incorrect. First, any ice storm can take out any tree and it has nothing to do with hardiness. Ice storms usually occur when the air temperature is from the upper 20's-mid 30's- which is no problem for these trees. It's the weight from the ice that can take down a tree (which happens with our native trees everywhere).

What could really look nice is a row of evergreen Live Oaks. I have several and despite what nurseries will tell you, they are hardy here. The only problem is availability. I got mine from Big Lots in Atlanta for $2 each but a nursery here should be able to order them for you.

Here is one in Nashville next to a row of evergreen Wax Myrtles (another great option nurseries are usually ignorant about- but they do carry them at Walmart):
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Thanks for that info. Funny enough Wax Myrtle was one of the first trees I looked at but abandoned when the zone range showed Nashville was too far north. The same guy who suggested not planting Burfords said Wax Myrtle would definitely not grow in Nashville. Look at you breaking the rules ! You plant rebel. I'll keep a look out for one when Walmart gets their plants in. I have a couple other spots for some evergreens.

You have chosen wisely. The Burford holly is a beautiful tree.

Yes, it's very funny what they don't understand. Wax myrtle is even native to Delaware.

Here is one first planted in my yard (It's the tiny thing in the middle):

Some cultivars of wax myrtle are hardier than others. With some of the more tender cultivars, I would be surprised if some cold winter didn't at least set them back considerably. The hardier cultivars (probably most cultivars) should do fine unless we get a really exceptionally cold winter. A lot, too, will depend on the microclimate. Even the most tender types would probably be OK planted in a protected courtyard or near a southwest-facing brick wall.

BTW, Delaware is a pretty warm area as far as minimum winter temperatures go. The area of Delaware where wax myrtles are found growing wild is zone 7b (old and new USDA maps).

The thing about Delaware's 7b is that they have much more snow and more consistently cold temperatures in the winter than we do. The biggest differences between winters in the South and Mid-Atlantic are that the South has insanely cold all-time lows- (-27) in Alabama for example- and the Mid-Atlantic has more prolonged- moderated cold- without the warm-ups we get and that BLE's like.

I guess I've been lucky with wax myrtle because the row I have of them are north-facing and away from any buildings and I've never had a problem with them.

I had a nursery in Paris, TN tell me once that crepe myrtles were not hardy in Tennessee.

There are a few crApe myrtle cultivars that probably wouldn't do well in many parts of Tennessee. From what I've seen though, those are definitely unusual. I currently have 10 crape myrtle varieties, and have seen only minor dieback on a few of them. Most show no sign of winter damage. A few decades ago, gardeners probably did have to be more careful in selecting hardy types here in Tennessee, but things have changed.

Yes, there are some more tender crape (thanks for the correction) myrtles that I saw used in areas of Miami. I just think a nursery owner should know better than to say "Crape myrtles aren't hardy in Tennessee" when the streets are lined with them. I've also been told Loblolly pine wasn't hardy here. I've seen native stands of it all the way into Southern KY and of course up to MD, DE. There are some great nursery salespeople out there but there are others that are the reason our parking lots are filled with split remains of Bradford pears and drought/heat stricken Eastern White pines.

I rarely take anything nurseries tell me as fact. I watched one of the most respected nurseries in town here plant some trees the other day. I could have hired any average redneck with a backhoe and likely got a more professional job. Their work looked like a video of "how NOT to plant trees".

My mom bought a conifer about two years ago and had planted it in her flower bed. I asked her if she had planned for it's eventual size. She said that the nursery had assured her it was a very slow grower that would stay compact. I laughed and showed her how much it had grown in the previous year.

If I ran a nursery, I'd make sure my employees knew at least a little more than the average Wally World Lawn and Garden Associate. Unfortunately, most nursery owners don't seem to see it that way.

Very true. And then there are the landscape crews that hack up landscaping trees and shrubs down to nubs. I've heard it referred to as "crape murder". I've also seen them "top off" pines right at the bottom third of the tree.

I donated some shrub palms (Sabal minor) to a local outdoor mall a few years ago. They look beautiful until the landscape crew comes around in the spring to weed-eat. They shred the outer palm fronds to pieces. It's unreal. I have to remind them, every spring and fall, not to douse them with weed killer too. Here is one of them after I cut off the hacked up fronds:

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The funny thing is, I love to trim. I prune everything and like to form shrubs into trees if they can be trained accordingly. But I also realize the plants obviously need to their foliage. :)