I would consider moving the whole plant if it has that much
sentimental value. I couldn't see you having much success on dividing the plant. The Azalea Society provides guidance on their FAQ page: http://azaleas.org/index.pl/faq.html . It's a big plant, but I would suppose manageable if you have enough help. Azaleas do not root very deep, so that will make it a lot easier. Most, if not all, of the roots should all be within the first foot of soil. If that seems like too much work, then I'd read up on propagating azaleas, take a huge number of cuttings, and pray some of them survive.

Thanks for the help. The Azalea Soc. website had some info on cuttings that I didn't know, so we'll probably try that.

Dave

For a plant of such considerable family value, I would definitely move it. As towsonite wrote, azaleas, with their shallow, fibrous root systems are very easy to move. It can be done at almost any time of the year except perhaps the dead of winter. Have the new site ready before moving, keep well watered through the summer and all should be well. You can start cuttings as an emergency backup, but they should not be needed. If you have tried and failed before to root cuttings from this particular azalea, it may be a hard to root variety. All the more reason to move the large azalea itself, although taking cuttings at several different times from September through late November may yield better results.

I have moved rhodos & azaleas in full bloom... really big ones. (because i didn't like the colour combos and finally decided to do something other than complain about it. Just make sure to have a good root ball, a tarp to drag it on and lots of burly gentlemen to help you do the job.