Out with the old

The new hydrangea leaves are busting out, while the old ones still cling on, reluctant to accept that their days are nearly over.

Soon it will be time to prune the shrub (I think it's Hydrangea macrophylla but if anyone knows differently, please tell me) and say goodbye to the beautiful old foliage which, along with the dead flowerheads, has kept birds and insects going over winter.