Gardener's Bloom Day for December

I almost didn't make Bloom Day today. Today's weather is a typical example of winter weather here in the South. It started out cloudy and almost warm (in the upper 50s). By the time I ran several errands and got home it was close to noon. I noted that the overcast skies would be perfect for photos so grabbed the camera and headed outside. After about 40 minutes, I noticed that the skies were looking ominous. All of a sudden, a big gust of wind came up and before I knew it, raindrops were falling. We've had a cold rainfall all afternoon and the temperatures keep falling. There is even a possibility for snow flurries overnight. How exciting!

The only blooms I could find today were roses and camellias. I did note some interesting foliage so I'll include them as well.

Camellia 'Mine-no-yuki' (aka 'Snow on the Mountain') -



A promising bud on the shrub rose 'Erfurt' -



A cluster of roses on 'Weeping China Doll' -



More pink roses, this time 'Lyric' -



And now, the foliage. This is the yucca 'Golden Sword' (complete with weeds underneath):



Here's a wonderful plant that every gardener should have. It is called Italian Arum. Some claim it is invasive but I've never had that problem. The foliage, which appears in the winter, is very striking. In spring, white flowers appear and are followed by bright orange berries. It then goes dormant during the summer.



Miscanthus -



The leaves of the Kerria are now bright yellow -



Notice the color of this maple - bright orange and yellow leaves and some are black. I've never noticed this variation before.



I thought the leaves of the hydrangea "Amethyst" were especially beautiful -



And here is another view with some Siberian Iris foliage -



Crytomeria Japonica (Japanese Cedar) -



And finally, my lichen and leaf covered bench. It looks kind of lonely doesn't it?