re: Indian Hawthorn alternative?

We had approximately 20 Indian Hawthorns in 4 different areas of our yard. After living here 14 years they all started to fade away. Wife and I started digging them up a few at a time. Not fun. Then I started cutting them off at ground level with a chain saw. Much better. This spring we started replacing them, mainly with azaleas. Most are dong well but the jury is still out as it is too early to tell.