I have a bare area where there used to be rhododendrons and/or azaleas, but they had to be removed to get at some pipes underground. (Not sure what happened to the plants that were removed; I wasn't here and a non-gardening relative was supervising!)

I'd like to move some existing rhododendrons to the bare spot. We have no shortage of rhododendrons -- we have about 3 acres of rhododendron-azalea-mountain laurel woods. There are some very small shrubs, ones that have grown up probably around the roots of older, long-gone plants.

My landscaper wants to just go buy new ones. I usually prefer to use what I have and recycle in general. Obviously it'd be more work to transplant, but would it be at all worth it? How can I sell this to my landscaper (he usually gets argumentative, but my problems with him are a different story)?. It just seems stupid to me to go buy rhododendrons when we have so many that are already adapted to our soil and micro-climate, and are happy growing under giant oaks.

Thanks!