Help needed with Judas tree

[begonefoulclutter]

Does anyone else have a Judas tree in their garden that's hanging on to last year's seed pods? Mine is still covered with hundreds of the things and there's no sign of them dropping off yet. In previous years I've cut them off in the winter, but the tree has grown and is now too big for that. Big brown, shrivelled, dangly pods is not a good look!

Do they drop off on their own, and if so, is it before or after the current year's flowers come out?

Anyone?

I’ve got one and I just leave it alone. It’s way too big for me to do anything to it.
Out of interest, why do you want to remove the seed heads?

@PinkCatCushion It is literally smothered in thousands of seed pods and looks a bit of a mess to be honest. They are obscuring the flowers that are now coming out. I drive past someone else's Judas tree on the way to & from work and that is in flower and there's no seed pods left on it at all. Mine just doesn't want to let go!