Japonicas may suffer if they get too much sun (Sasanquas can handle more sun). Wind can also cause drooping when the leaves loose moisture faster than the plant can absorb moisture through the roots. Protection from the winds can help remedy the dropping problem. Protection from too much sun can help remedy the browning of leaves. Maintaining the soil evenly moist can help a little with both issues. Aim for 4 hours of sun or less. Summer temperatures, summer winds and lack of Spring-like moisture plus transplant shock (an affected root system) are making the shrubs react this way. In Z10, I would have transplanted them during the winter months but I understand that this is something one cannot schedule sometimes. If they get a lot more than 4 hours of sun, you may need to transplant them again. Temporarily, you can help[ by keeping the soil moist as evenly as possible; block the sun with 35% shade cloth or some other object; protect from the winds with some object. And mulch, mulch, mulch. About 3-4" of mulch. Because the area is windy, I would also maintain about 6" of mulch past the drip line. Stressed plant should not be fertilized so I would not fertilize until next year. It would be ok to amend however, if you have to tweak the soil pH, etc. Make sure the plant remains about 1" higher than the surrounding soil. You may also want to use a stake in case there are sudden strong winds.

amberroses is referring to the fact that camellias are starting to develop flower buds now and you may miss the bloomage if you transplant now. Plants that are moved will usually suffer from transplant shock and existing flower buds may be aborted during these stressful times. Depending on the type and variety, camellias can start in Sept-Oct & bloom well into March of next 2010 (or a little after that). The previous owner might be able to give you more accurate blooming times. Your success rate may be better if you do this while the plants are dormant, i.e., when Fall-Winter arrive and not while Summer is going strong. Choose a location that protects them from the hot afternoon summer sun. For example, select a spot that gets shaded at the same time as the current one does or gets shade starting around 11am-12pm. The sasanqua leaves will handle more sun than japonicas leaves do so keep that in mind too. The new location should be mulched with 3-4 of mulch and should have a sprinkler/drip system that can provide as much moisture as the existing location. Here is a link that might be useful: Camellia Information by the A. C. S.

There's an important clue in James' post that shouldn't be overlooked. It's impossible to have a healthy plant w/o healthy roots. James' plants have healthy roots because of the soils he uses are well-aerated and drain freely. Your soil choice is also what determines what is appropriate insofar as what size container you choose. For instance, it may be entirely inappropriate to pot a freshly rooted cutting in a 1 gallon container of Miracle-Gro or any number of other highly water-retentive soils marketed as container soils; while it may be entirely appropriate to plant a fresh cutting in a 3 gallon pot or larger, filled with a soil that supports no (or very little) perched water. Something I wrote about what determines appropriate pot size. Most of it should be on the mark, but forgive me if it doesn't address the question directly in all its parts: How large a container can or should be, depends on the relationship between the mass of the plant material you are working with and your choice of soil. We often concern ourselves with "over-potting" (using a container that is too large), but "over-potting" is a term that arises from a lack of a basic understanding about the relationship we will look at, which logically determines appropriate container size. It's often parroted that you should only move up one container size when "potting-up". The reasoning is, that when potting up to a container more than one size larger, the soil will remain wet too long and cause root rot issues, but it is the size/mass of the plant material you are working with, and the physical properties of the soil you choose that determines both the upper & lower limits of appropriate container size - not a formulaic upward progression of container sizes. In many cases, after root pruning a plant, it may even be appropriate to step down a container size or two, but as you will see, that also depends on the physical properties of the soil you choose. Plants grown in slow (slow-draining/water-retentive) soils need to be grown in containers with smaller soil volumes so that the plant can use water quickly, allowing air to return to the soil before root issues beyond impaired root function/metabolism become a limiting factor. We know that the anaerobic (airless) conditions that accompany soggy soils quickly kill fine roots and impair root function/metabolism. We also know smaller soil volumes and the root constriction that accompany them cause plants to both extend branches and gain o/a mass much more slowly - a bane if rapid growth is the goal - a boon if growth restriction and a compact plant are what you have your sights set on. Conversely, rampant growth can be had by growing in very large containers and in very fast soils where frequent watering and fertilizing is required - so it's not that plants rebel at being potted into very large containers per se, but rather, they rebel at being potted into very large containers with a soil that is too slow and water-retentive. This is a key point. We know that there is an inverse relationship between soil particle size and the height of the perched water table (PWT) in containers. As particle size increases, the height of the PWT decreases, until at about a particle size of just under 1/8 inch, soils will no longer hold perched water. If there is no perched water, the soil is ALWAYS well aerated, even when the soil is at container capacity (fully saturated). So, if you aim for a soil (like the gritty mix) composed primarily of particles larger than 1/16", there is no upper limit to container size, other than what you can practically manage. The lower size limit will be determined by the soil volume's ability to allow room for roots to 'run' and to furnish water enough to sustain the plant between irrigations. Bearing heavily on this ability is the ratio of fine roots to coarse roots. It takes a minimum amount of fine rootage to support the canopy under high water demand. If the container is full of large roots, there may not be room for a sufficient volume of the fine roots that do all the water/nutrient delivery work and the coarse roots, too. You can grow a very large plant in a very small container if the roots have been well managed and the lion's share of the rootage is fine. You can also grow very small plants, even seedlings, in very large containers if the soil is fast (free-draining and well-aerated) enough that the soil holds no, or very little perched water. I have just offered clear illustration that the oft repeated advice to 'only pot up one size at a time', only applies when using heavy, water-retentive soils. Those using well-aerated soils are not bound by the same restrictions. Al

I guess it's too late now..... did you have any luck?