Hello Gardeners.

I'm new here and also new to gardening so please bear with me :)

First the new:

OSH had a a 3 for $10 sale on Japanese boxwood and since they have a lifetime guarantee on their plants I couldn't resist. They are quite small and obviously not of the best quality but I'd like to give it a try. I would like them to eventually form a small hedge.

Our local soil pH is in the 7.5-8 range in my area. My mother said not to bother testing and adding sulfur. Should I ignore her and do it anyway? Also we have a sandy loam type soil with hardpan underneath. These beds had roses in them for 15 years but have been empty for the last 10. Any tips on amending the soil?

Also how should I space these? At OSH they said it depended on how quickly I wanted them to grow together. They usually give pretty good advice but that just didn't sound right. In the pictures I have them spaced 24" on center.

Lastly I was contemplating plating kale in between the boxwood so I wouldn't have to go all the way to the back of my property this winter. Lazy, I know, but I figured it would save me a trek and also conserve water.

And now the old:

We have boxwood lining the front of our house. It is at least 35 years old, could be 60+. They all seem to be pretty healthy except for 1. I've been watering that one extra and it is greening up but would like to know if there is anything else I could do to help keep it from dying. We had one die in a different spot and it took YEARS for the neighboring plants to fill in the empty area, and it still doesn't look right :(

Lastly the boxwood surrounding the front planting bed has become overgrown and is creeping over the border. It has been trimmed on a regular basis but its been 25 years since the brick border was put in and naturally the boxwood has grown. I'd like to cut it back but am afraid to do so. Any advice?

One last thing. The picture above shows the other side of the planting bed and the boxwood crowding it, on the left of the picture is a 20 year old rosemary. It has gotten way too big. Is there any chance of cutting back to a reasonable size and it surviving? It has sentimental value so I'd really like to save it but if worse comes to worse I can take cutting and start new plants from it. After all that is how this one started out way back when I was a little kid.

Thanks in advance!