On Gardening: Coast to Coast in a Flash

Norman Winter, Tribune News Service on Sep 4, 2025

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Coast to Coast in a Flash has made the summer one of the most beautiful in memory. Of course, I’m The Garden Guy and I am talking about plants, not a hasty trip from Columbus, Georgia, to Carmel, California. Though the latter certainly sounds fun.

Coast to Coast is one of the most beautiful hosta varieties in the Shadowlaand series. In fact, it was a Proven Winners "Hosta of the Year" not too long ago. It is an electrifying chartreuse that can light up a shady or filtered light part of the landscape like few other plants.

A gardener wanting to build a hosta collection will welcome Shadowland Coast to Coast for its ability to partner with almost every other color of hosta foliage. Use it with Heart to Heart Caladiums and suddenly your creative genius to creative combinations explodes from within.

The play on Coast to Coast with a Flash was directing you to try one or both of the two Heart to Heart caladiums with Flash in their names. These would be Heart to Heart Hot Flash and Heart to Heart Fast Flash. Both represent the very best of the color red. It’s logical to go here as red is the complement of green and the chartreuse shade of green is a "Holy Wow."

Hot Flash and Fast Flash are both award-winners. They are both about 20 inches tall. Fast Flash has a little wider spread. If you try to look at them and decide which is prettier, you will go nuts. I would say Fast Flash has some freckle that simply makes it intriguing.

Wherever they are in the garden, it’s like a display of cherry lime. In one area I have them around a Windmill Palm. I then added some Boldly Coral geraniums. In another area on a shady hillside, I added Soprano Red impatiens. Hot Flash and Fast Flash are both considered sun or shade caladiums if you want to try another partnership.

There are two other Shadowland Coast to Coast combinations with caladiums that The Garden Guy and Son James have created you are sure to love. So, if fast isn’t your game, go slow using Coast to Coast under the Raspberry Moon.

Heart to Heart Raspberry Moon caladium is also an award-winner with a 15- to 20-inch height and a 10- to 14-inch spread. The leaf colors look to be designed for combining with the chartreuse of Shadowland Coast to Coast hosta. The large leaves have an overall pale chartreuse with dark green and raspberry blotches. I also paired Soprano impatiens, blue flowered Let’s Dance hydrangeas and an additional chartreuse plant, Florida Sunshine anise.

James loves red caladiums too but went with Heart to Heart Burning Heart. This caladium defies logic in its leaf color. When I show pictures to new gardeners, everyone always says they had no idea that such a caladium leaf color existed. It is a dark rusty red that seems to be the perfect foil for the Coast to Coast chartreuse colored foliage.

Fertile well-drained soil will be perfect for your Shadowland Coast to Coast hosta. They are perennial in zones 3-9 and require shade to part shade. You can plant Heart to Heart caladium bulbs in the ground in mere seconds using a Twist 'n Plant auger on the end of a cordless drill. I also like to plant my bulbs in individual pots so I can place them in the beds exactly where I want them after the perennials show in the spring.

Coast to Coast with a Flash is a great way to get your landscape dazzling next year. In the meantime, follow me on my Facebook page @NormanWinterTheGardeenGuy for more photos and garden inspiration.

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Shadowland Coast to Coast hosta is an electrifying chartreuse color that can light up the shade to part shade garden, even more so when combined with Heart to Heart Hot Flash caladiums.

Heart to Heart Fast Flash caladium is an award winner like Hot Flash and looks equally stunning combined with chartreuse.

Heart to Heart Fast Flash caladium shows how beautiful the leaves are when backlit by the sun.

Heart to Heart Raspberry Moon caladium is an award-winning variety and looks to be an ideal partner when combined with Shadowland Coast to Coast hostas. Other partners making the garden are Soprano Orange impatiens, Let’s Dance Sky View hydrangeas, Florida Sunshine anise.

Shadowland Coast to Coast hosta and Heart to Heart Burning Heart caladiums sizzle in a rare display of color.

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(Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.)

(NOTE TO EDITORS: Norman Winter receives complimentary plants to review from the companies he covers.)