Winter Blooms -- Senescent hydrangeas

In grammar school my botany teacher told us to gather senescent blooms for class.  We wandered around the school grounds for a long time searching for a non-existent plant.  It took a latin student to twig that senescence was derived from the Latin word senex, meaning "old age" or "advanced in age". 

Instead of pruning back all senescent flowers in the landscape it pays to leave some to age gently.  Seed heads and dried hydrangeas look particularly fetching when dusted with snow in winter