Hello, starchild2008. Hmm, I am not quite sure if the arborist was familiar with camellias or what he had in mind but for northern and very cold locations, it is suggested that you place them in a location that is slightly different to the south. And that is to put it on the northern side and to protect them from early morning sun and northern winds using other shrubbery that will help block the winds. Up in the cold north, you really want to protect from early morning sun.

Here is more info on the subject, courtesy of Camellia Forest, a camellia nursery:

https://www.camforest.com/category_s/57.htm

Below is another link from the American Camellia Society with excellent information about planting, fertilizing, general care, pests, etc. Their references to dates and months need to be tweaked sometimes, as they are located in Georgia and you are further up north in Eastern Wa. ;o)

https://www.americancamellias.com/care-culture-resources/general-culture-requirements

I don't know about that. In Western Wa, which gets much more rain than you do, camellias seem to do just great, and can get really huge. They suggest to plant them in a place with well draining soil, but I don't think that's extremely critical, unless you have a really bad location that is just constantly a puddle of water.

However, in colder areas there may be different rules, so I'm not sure.