Not putting on growth that you could see was normal over winter, as was losing their leaves. In soil that doesn't freeze, there should have been some root development going on.

Most hydrangea macrophylla (from your color descriptions I'm assuming that's what these are) bloom on old (growth from the previous year) wood and there is nothing you can do to make them bloom this year if they did not set flower buds. Moving them, instead of letting them become established, isn't helping their growth - each time the roots are disturbed by digging or repotting you are slowing their development.

Your plants sound quite young. Adequate water, good drainage, protection from hot mid day sun whether in the ground or in pots, combined with some time and patience may be all you need. If planted in the ground, a mulch over the root zone to conserve moisture and cool the soil will be helpful.

Ditto. By the way, my hydrangeas will suffer from leaf scorch or bloom brownout if allowed to get direct sun from (approx) 12pm and on during the summer. Tweak their location if necessary should you notice those symptoms from late May/early June thru early September.

A Glowing Embers of mine that was planted at about the same time as yours has not shown much "above ground" growth either. But growth and blooms should not be the primary goal for any plant on years 1 and 2. Instead, let it develop a good root system and, when they done with that and have become established in your garden, they will begin growing larger and producing lots of bloom.