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I've been looking at articles on foundation planting and while most of the warn not to plant too close to the house, none of them have said how far out to plant.
I just put a camellia in the ground about 2 feet from the side of the house, I hope to train it into tree form eventually. Is two feet too close...too far? Is there a rule of thumb?
You don't want the branches of the mature shrub to touch your house, for many reasons. It'll hold moisture against the wood and promote rotting, if it moves in the wind it could scrape the paint, and it'll be more difficult to paint your house or fix your gutters, etc. I'd want at least a foot or two between the plant and my house.
So look at the plant tags, or look up the plant online. Divide the mature width by 2, and add 1 or 2 feet. So if the Camellia gets 4' wide, you want to plant it 4 feet away from your house. The plants by my house were planted right by the wall (ages ago), and the back branches were all pruned off as they grew. They look ok, but it's going to be difficult to paint the house when it comes time for that.
I've been following this thread, and have a somewhat related question to pose as well:
As far as mulch is concerned, can a garden bed be mulched right up to the foundation, or should a few inches of gravel separate the mulch and the concrete for drainage purposes?
In the picture below, the mulch goes right up to the concrete (though you can't really tell it's concrete because the color blends with the siding in the photo).
I have the same question on flower gardens. I have a brick house, and where I want to put a bed faces the afternoon sun, with no shade. The bricks retain a lot of heat, and you can still feel the heat in the cool hours of the night. The herbs has done well, but not sure how lillies will do, or other bulbs.
goldeneagleone--I have an area that gets full-on afternoon sun with a brick wall behind it and an asphalt driveway in front of it. Talk about HOT!! I tried lots of different things and the most successful ones have been dianthus (deep rose red), Mr. Fokker anenomes (purple), purple and white verbena, and yellow lantana. Terrible soil there and I have done a minimum amount of amendment, as this area will someday become part of a new concrete driveway. The plants are as happy as any I've ever grown. There is a large nandina bush toward the "front" end of the bed and it provides a bit of afternoon shade for irises and Mexican heather that I've put on that end.
