A friend is giving us some very old boxwoods from a home they just purchased. Not sure of the exact type. The center of the plant is very thick - mainly 3 main branches. The bush themselves look pretty ragged from lack of sun over the years.

How far back can I cut these to dig up and transplant?

How long until they look decent?

I need 8 across the front of my house and not sure if it would be silly to plant 4 old on one side and 4 new on the other to save money...assuming in 2-3 years they'll look similar.

thanks for reading!