Barb,
Yes, camellias are evergreen. Acid soil, filtered sun. Growth habits vary. Some very upright, others with pendulous branches suitable for espaliering.

In your zone sansanqua camellias may withstand winters better than the larger flowered japonicas. Sansanquas bloom earlier and tolerate more sun than japonicas. An outstanding white is 'Setsugekka'.

If no one from your zone answers I recommend asking at a local nursery. Perhaps there is another type that is best for your area. Or maybe they have to be planted next to a warm winter wall. Good luck.

Akerman hybrids are mentioned in another post as being hardy.

Sasanqua is the correct spelling - my goof :-(

in DC, to be on the safe side, you should probably go with the Ackerman cold-hardy camellias. camellia forest has a great selection.

Here is a link that might be useful: camellia forest nursery

Thank you so much. I'll explore this a little further. (There is just so much stuff out there it's hard to keep up.)

Hi Barb -

I'm in Annapolis.

What kind of garden will this plant be in? If it's enclosed, or the camellia will be against a wall (except north facing), there will a warmer winter microclimate that will expand your options for cultivars. In less hospitable places, the Ackerman hybrids are indeed proving themselves quite cold-hardy. 'Setsugekka,' mentioned above, is a great white, performs beautifully in my garden, gets eastern sun. I'm about to get my first display from 'Japanese Fantasy,' a C. japonica/saluenensis/roseaflora hybrid, which is supposed to be quite cold tolerant, but I only planted it last year and this winter, as you know, was quite mild.

- Steve