December's Bloomday

This Abutilon 'Nuabtang' has been pushing out a new bloom quite regularly, I started to take it for granted. A closer look this month reveals a little wear and tear on the petals. I guess this is not a new bloom, just a survivor.The loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) is covered in blooms.
As is the nearby Stachyurus salicifolius, although buds in this case. Blooms to come in a couple months.
Ditto for the Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae.
My Passiflora 'Amethyst Jewel' was slow to get started this spring, it's nice to see it's working late into the season to make up for it.
December is prime time for fatsia blooms, this one is Fatsia japonica 'Murakumo Nishiki'.
A close-up.
If you're a regular here, then you know I never can stick to actual blooms for Bloomday. As you saw earlier buds are fair game, as are berries. These on Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress'.
Just a few feet away, the blooms of Mahonia x media 'Marvel'.
I went to check on the Mahonia fortunei 'Curlyque' to see if it was blooming and it appears I missed the blooms, but look! Colorful new growth...
Nearby, I admired the red-necks that give daphniphyllum its common name of "red-neck rhododendron". While the petioles are always colorful, the cool weather makes them even brighter.
I didn't go hunting to see what all the hellebores are doing, but it's nice to see one—Helleborus x ballardiae Pink Frost—on the verge of blooming.
The edgeworthia are budded-up and ready to start opening in a few weeks—here Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Nanjing Gold'.
Another fatsia, this the straight Fatsia japonica. I love that you can see all three stages here: blooms, fruit, and the center bit left after the individual parts of the starburst fall.
I almost missed this variegated Cyperus alternifolius, aka umbrella papyrus. I think I've shared it before here, on Bloomday—maybe even last month. I bought it a couple of years ago and forgot about it over winter and just left it sitting out in the cold, what do you know, it's lived and keeps on going.
I was very surprised to see the Euphorbia rigida this far along in their bloom formation.  
Hopefully they won't be damaged by a snow or ice storm.
I can see these colorful Mahonia gracilipes bloom stems (stipes?) from inside the house... they are so festive! Better than many blooms.
Speaking of mahonia (again)... the Mahonia x media 'Charity' are tall enough now that I can see them from inside the house. 
I've been lucky to notice multiple hummingbirds and what I think are bushtits working around the flowers all at the same time, just ignoring each other.
The annual Tetrapanax papyrifer bloom watch continues.
We had a mighty strong windstorm over the weekend and I thought the leaves would all be stripped away. Nice to see that a few are hanging on. Still no killing frost here in my neck of the woods.
The strong wind did remove many of the blooms from the Arctostaphylos x 'Austin Griffiths', the ground underneath and down the sidewalk is decorated with them.
Thankfully the plant (shrub? small tree?) is still covered in flowers so the hummingbirds will be happy for weeks.
The last three flowers are all on indoor (for the winter months) epiphyllum. This one has bloomed heavily in the past, but pushed out a couple more flowers this month.
This one was a big bloomer last year, only four blooms this year—still I'm impressed!
And my newest plant, purchased late last spring, has opened several red flowers. It's a nice alternative to the poinsettia, don't you think?

—   —   —