They grow slowly at first. It is VERY important that you provide good drainage, otherwise they just languish. I always plant my about halfway down in a hole and then mound up very good topsoil around them spread out to a diameter of 4-5'. This ensures good drainage. You need to water, but camellias are surprisingly drought tolerant once established.

Are they sasanqua or Japaneese? I have found the Japaneese (spring bloomers, larger leaves) to be far slower in growth than the sasanqua (fall bloomers, smaller leaves). The japaneese typically do not show much growth for the first two years whereas the sasanquas tend to take off right away.

They aren't Sasanqua, so I'm assuming they're Japanese. They are the Marie Bracey var.
At least they aren't dying on me, but after almost 6 months from the purchase date they still look exactly as they did the day that I bought them. Zero growth.

And I was very careful not to plant them too deeply. This particular bed is sloped away from the foundation of our home and the Camellias are planted at the highest point of the slope so I'm sure they are getting good drainage. This bed has moist soil but it isn't wet.

I'm hoping it's just going to take a bit more time for them to become established, as Pterostyrax suggested, because I've seen several mature Camellia shrubs around our neighborhood and they are gorgeous....I'd love to have mine end up looking that way. I dug out a couple of old dwarf Azalea shrubs so I could plant those Camellias in that particular spot. Anyone who claims that Azaleas have shallow roots and are easy to get rid of has never tried to dig one up before. Man! what a pain in the butt that was. Roots are shallow but spread out in a tangled mess in ALL directions.

Thanks for the responses, y'all.

It's early for them to be putting on growth. That normally takes place right after the blooming season. So I would think that you may have about two more months before they start. Once they have that Spring growth, then they sort of slow down and harden as they develop the buds for the following blooming season. They don't "grow" all year around.
PB

And I suspect that they are Camellia Japonicas rather than Japanese. This has been a freaky winter. Frost and freezing can get camellia buds if it happens at just the right time. Since the buds are gone, it may be that the spring growth will start sooner than normal. If it does, and it looks as if we are going to have another freeze, throw a blanket or sheet over them. (no plastic PLEASE)
PB

Also watch for squirrels. They love to eat our Camellia Buds just as they are ready to open. They also enjoy picking the open bloom and sitting on our deck rail to eat them. Wish I knew someone that enjoyed eating squirrels. Back to your question----I find the Camellia is a very slow growing shrub, and the new groth bud will stay the same size till spring.

"WannaBGardener", thanks for the warning about the squirrels. I had no idea they'd find my flower buds tasty. They don't seem to bother anything in our yard and we have lots of squirrels because of numerous pine trees on our property. Mostly the squirrels just make a big mess every fall eating the pine cones and dig holes in the yard.

And thanks for letting me know, PB, that Camellias don't grow ALL year. I know that some plants are dormant for part of the year but I didn't know that about Camellias. I hope to see some growth from them when warmer weather returns.

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Your answers have helped tremendously.

Camellias are very slow growers, have a very shallow root system, prefer shade and acid soil.
Because of the shallow root system you don't want to mulch too heavily or plant other things such as annuals too close around the base of the plant.
I would not recommend moving them if you don't have to. They can tolerate it but will do better if not disturbed. Fertilize and prune (of course you don't need to prune for a while) only in the spring after blooming. Don't be alarmed if your new plants don't bloom for the first year or two.
Getting new camellias established can seem like it takes FOREVER but they are well worth the wait. I absolutely hate winter and the camellias help brighten it up a little. If you select varieties that bloom at different times you can have bloom from early fall all the way to mid-spring.

I bought and planted a camellia this past fall also. Mine hasn't grown either but thats not what I'm worried about. I also planted it shallow and with well drained soil, but the leaves are turning yellow with brown spots. What is that all about. They never bloomed in the winter but it looks like they're starting to bloom right now. The tips of the buds are opening up. Does anyone know anything about this? I would appreciate the advice.

Marlo, some camellias start blooming in September, others wait until March. Yours are most likely late bloomers. As far as the yellowing leaves, it's either insects, disease of lack of something in the soil. A good camellia spray might be advisable and it's about time to fertilize them.
Good luck!

I dug a couple of camellia sprouts from my Grandmother's camellia trees. They've been in the ground about a year now. They're still very small... about 8in high but look pretty good. I guess I'll have to wait a long time for my first bloom. Also, could using epsom salts around the camellias help the problem with yellowing leaves?

Gurley~ against advice, I transplanted one of my Camellias a couple days ago. The flower buds, which I thought had been done in by frost, actually started blooming. Unfortunately I didn't notice that they were blooming until I'd already dug the shrub outta the ground. I hope the move doesn't cause any major problems. Frost just got the outside edges of the blooms, turning them brown, but the insides of the blooms are beautiful. Now I regret being so impatient.
I removed most of the mulch from around the base of the plant and I guess, per your advice, I'll be removing the Pansies, too. They're getting ratty looking anyway.

Our soil is acid, acid, acid! For example, I can't kill the Azaleas growing in my yard. I've tried. I hate them. Everybody has them and I just don't think they're all that attractive. They are acid-loving plants and they also LOVE my soil. The Azaleas in my yard are so big that to remove one of them required a chain hooked to the back of my father's truck (Ford, circa 1980....good ol' Detroit steel bumper. LOL) and it still wasn't easy. The tires were spinning in place. And a good sized chunk of the grass in my front yard was dug up along with that monster Azalea. Anybody want one? LOL. If you can dig them up outta my yard you can have them for free. The root ball must have weighed at least 50 pounds...I'm not kidding. My mom said she thinks they were probably planted when the house was built...approx. 30 yrs. ago. These things are virtually indestructable. Free for the taking, y'all..come and get 'em.
BTW, I'm a bit skittish about using fertilizers, period. I've badly burned a few plants in the past and that was with a fertilizer that claimed it wouldn't burn. I used "less" than the package directions suggested because I was afraid of burn. My plants seem to do poorly, not better, when I use fertilizer...ANY fertilizer. So mostly I just don't. I'll amend the soil sometimes around a new plant with a compost that has a slow-release fertilizer mixed into it, rather than one you sprinkle on the soil or foliage. I didn't know fertilizers for Camellias existed. Have to check that out.

Ashley, I recently saw a thread about using Epsom salts in the garden. You could probably locate it if you did a search of this site. I've never used Epsom salts out in the garden and didn't even know they could be used that way until I read a few posts in that thread. Live and learn.

If I remember my OP here, I'll update y'all on the health of the Camellia I transplated. Fingers crossed that I didn't kill it when I moved it.

Evidently, there are some camelias that can tolerate sun better than others. Mine and the neighbors are planted in full sun in a southern exposure and are doing great. The neighbors mulch with pine needles but have an irrigation system that waters their grass and plants. Mine are mulched heavily with shredded hardwood and get no irrigation besides what mother nature provides.

Marlo, even if your soil is on the acid side, which camelias like, the soil conditions may still not be to the liking of the plants. Try getting some soil acidifier, diluting it in water and pouring it around your plants. It seems to help acid loving plants when the leaves begin to get chloritic looking. Another thought, don't know what the weather conditions have been in your area, but if you have had alternating periods of warm and cold, perhaps your plants are suffering from winter burn.

My camellias are very slow growers, too, and I'm not even close to an expert, but here's what I was told. When I posted on the Camellia forum, I was told that they like SLIGHTLY acid soil and that my soil might be too acid. I was advised to test the pH and apply lime if the soil was VERY acid, which I did. Now at least I see some new buds.

Doing a quick search on Camellia and pH shows recommendations from 4.5 to 6.5, but the American Camellia Society recommends 6.0-6.5 pH as the ideal range.

Shelley