This is 'Wolverine', I think. It came to me as a NOID in 2009, and has proven to be a good grower. From a single shoot in'09 we went to a point I could comfortably divide it last year to have a couple for sale this spring.

I have several pots with 'Wide Brim', always a fairly early rise for me, this is from late April last year.

Pieter

Winter Lightning

Phil

Here is one of my Wolverines from April 2011. Yes Pieter,I think yours is a Wolverine! Take a look. Phil

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Whirlwind

the other Steve

A few W's to share but no X's yet.
Can't wait to see the spring show this year.

New last year but love the pictures on the library

This one is a good grower but the slugs like it

A nice blue

Another favorite that I can't wait to grow up

Samantha

Only one, Wolverine:

I don't think it's very happy where I have it. I may have to move it.

Karen

Here's my Winter Snow,first year coming up,after being planted in 2010. Phil

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A lot the same.

Phil, my Winter Snow is a year older than yours but you wouldn't know it by the size. I do like this one and am glad Ken showed his wonderful plant several years ago. Where are your pictures Ken?

New to me in 2011

Shown with Coconut Custard. It always surprised me how much smaller this is than Curtain Call, its sport.

Whirlwind. I don't really care for how this looks later in the season. The darkening of the veins gives me the willies.
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Wide Brim
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Wolverine
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It's always a treat to look at your pics, McTavish. Warpaint is gorgeous! My first hosta purchase was Winter Snow and it is one of the very few not already breaking the ground here in Alabama. I'm wondering if slugs ate it under all that leaf cover. I'll give it another week before I start poking around trying to find it beneath its marker.

Frank, that 'Wolverine' of yours looks too blue and to wide at the base of the leaf, I suspect it is mis-identified....

Pieter

I really love War Paint. It is on my list to get this spring.

Here is another Whirlwind:

Pieter, My Wolverine gets very little sun. My Empress Wu is also blue and sited near Wolverine. My EW was green when I bought it in 09 at the same place and time I got Wolverine.

This was Wolverine and Empress Wu right after they were planted. Both were green and Wolverine had the narrow leaves. I also keep a shade cloth over this bed which shades it and breaks up rain drops so the leaves don't get the bloom washed off as much. My Dark Star is the same way. All pics on HL show it being green but mine stays blue. Planted in the same area.
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Myrle,

Does War Paint turn all green at some point in the season or does it always stay variegated?

Steve

Frank, that may well be the difference: placement. Mine are in near full sun, which I can get away with up here. Certainly the leaves on my 'Wolverine' are dull/flat but not anywhere near as glaucous as yours, that's what threw me off...

Pieter

Frank, Have you tried Whirlwind in shade? The Whirlwind of mine pictured above stays the same all year. It's in a cool spot in the garden with only a little morning sun. I had another Whirlwind in half day sun a few years ago. It turned green. I moved it to a pot the next year and placed it in the shade. It did not go green even into October. Your Wolverine is a puzzler. I tend to agree with Pieter, not so much for the color which could have to do with light or the way the photo was taken but because of the leaf shape and growth habit. If you look at all of the pictures of Wolverine above, the leaves are more blunt in the tip and not wavy. The leaves seem to originate from the ground making the center of the plant very dense. Your plant reminds me more of Dark Star.

Steve, War Paint does turn green. I didn't take picture of how long into the season that happened. I'm never sure which ones stay variegated longer being in shade compared to those being in sun. I guess we have to experiment. Whirlwind definitely needs cool shade. War Paint may keep it's color if it's in some sun. That would be like On Stage which goes green with shade. I might just move my War Paint to see what happens. I'll let you know. Myrle

After the first year of having Whirlwind getting early morning sun with a couple hours of mid afternoon sun I dug it up, stuck it in a pot and have grown it in full shade up against the North side of the house and it still turns green. Last year we had that heatwave so that might be a contributing factor in it changing colors.

I have a Dark Star about 2' away from Wolverine. It is much more dense and lower to the ground. The Wolverine sent up a scape without leaves about 5"-6" from the crown the second year I had it way before the rest of the plant sent up scapes. I cut off the scape and it sent up leaves where the scape had come up. I never did anything about it so that is why it looks spread out.