You should see signs of life quite soon - check for little red buds. I don't know how big it'll gow in one year, but over time, they cover a large area; mine is about 40' along a stone wall and drapes down over it to a depth of 8 or10'. (It's on a wall above our stream!) It was inherited, so I don't really know how old it is. I love it - especially in the autumn. :-)))

After two or three years the root ball should be big enough to support it's normal yearly growth rate of about 2-3ft per year.

That makes sense, Fractal - so mine could be about 20 years old.

My virginia creeper never came into bud untile march so be patient. It would grow 3-4 feet per year. I pinched a couple of bits off a plant when I visited the garden centre and put them in water when I got home then potted them up, a year later I put the small plants in tiny holes my husband drilled near the house, couldn`t really find any soil down there but I put them in anyway, they must love lime because they are now 40 ft plus