I see no reason why not. As with planting anything into a bed that has had older plants in it add plenty of organic material.

Hi Owdb. no problem at all planting heathers where you have previously had them. In spite of my efforts to keep them small sooner or later most of them get lanky and get heaved out. We did some composted bark or similar in and plant new small ones (promising ourselves we will keep them trimmed back!)

If they're winter flowering heathers a trim just before they stop flowering every year or two should make them stay luxuriant virtually forever

These heathers have received that treatment every year or two for at least 25 years and still look good.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31559373@N00/3380217786/

The secret is to take off as much as possible without going into old stems with no leafs on them.

Cheers folks. Not sure we are going to go down the heather route now. From what I can see the ones we have are dead because of the Heather fungus thing so replanting is not an option.

Are they summer flowering heathers Owl?

There's some stuff on heather problems here

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r280111811.html