It's somewhat of a common misconception that tree roots cause foundation problems. If your foundation is structurally sound - no cracking, settling and not a thin slab - then the roots of even rather aggressive species are unlikely to cause any problems. Most foundation problems are caused by subsidence - the swelling and shrinking of the soil due to extremes in moisture levels. This is most common in very heavy clay soils (generally not those of the PNW) and in areas of seasonal heavy rains followed by high drought. If this were Georgia, you might have cause for concern. This can cause cracking and opportunistic roots can then penetrate, but they are the symptom, seldom the cause. Moisture sucking trees like willows and cottonwoods could also contribute to subsidence. Certainly a rhododendron with its matt of fine surface feeder roots will pose no threat. The lime in the concrete foundation is far more likely to cause problems with the rhody than the rhody will cause to any foundation.

As to how close to a foundation to plant, that's more a factor of the specific plant than anything else. To prevent damage to the plant as it grows and a misshappen form, it is usually recommended to plant at least a distance equal to the radius of the mature spread. And of course it makes sense to allow for proper air circulation as well as ease of maneuvering to trim the plant, apply mulch or paint the house, etc. In fire prone areas, this distance can increase considerably.

I also have a Eucryphia x nymansensis trained as an espalier against tha side of my house. It is only planted about 18" away from the siding, but it is a quite airy shrub so far and looks like it will retain that somewhat sparse habit. It also grows as slow as molasses, having only put on about a foot in height since I planted it maybe 6 years ago. By the time it reaches a mature height, I'll be long gone :-)) Not sure my old house will still be standing, either.

Thanks for the reassurance, Gardengal. Actually , I have a confession to make - when I was researching Eucryphias your post came up about the painters doing your house. It mentioned both the eucryphia and a Pittosporum garnettii, and guess what - this Eucryphia is going in about ten feet away from a garnettii. They are both on the north side of the house. The Pittosporum if doing great, by the way.
Do you have a particular variety of nymansensis? Your comments about slow growth have me a little concerned. The Forestfarm descriptions call 'Mt. Usher' as slow growing, while they classify 'Rostrevor' as fast. Cistus calls 'Mt.Usher' vigorous. I would like something that gets some height on it, six to eight feet or so, in a few years. Do you think I should go for the 'Rostrevor' (tubes only available this year) or hang tight with 'Mt. Usher', which is about a foot high (gallon) but looks good with lots of new growth?

I bought it as just x nymansensis. It was a decent size to begin with, about 4', but it's not much more than around 5' now maybe 5.5 :-) It's planted on the west side of my house with plenty of reflected heat (light colored siding) and in quite decent soil. And since other shrubs in my garden seem to grow in leaps and bounds and get much larger much faster than expected, I just assumed it is a slow grower. Other eucryphias in my general vicinity don't seem to produce much rapid growth either. OTOH, the pitt is doing great, although I've yet to see any sign of flowering since I've had it (about as long as the eucryphia).

No sign yet here either. It's 8 - 10 feet.

Eucryphia x nymanensis has two hybrids that have survived to US cultivation, 'Nymansay' and 'Mt. Usher'. As far as I'm aware both grow pretty fast and get big if they are happy. There is a monster one in Bremerton, a photo of which has been posted here before. It must be 50' tall and wide though I don't have the exact dimensions. Personally I wouldn't place this anywhere near a house though as gardengal says there would be little harm in doing so.

Eucryphia x intermedia 'Rostrevor' is a smaller shrub/tree but it has been pretty vigorous for me. If I remember correctly it is a hybrid of E. lucida x glutinosa.

Eucryphia x hybrida (milliganii x lucida) is an appealing plant. I've had it for perhaps 5 years now and I still haven't seen any flowers on it yet. Plain E. milliganii is also nice.

Thanks Ian. Hey, I just found this link when I googled Eucryphia size - it's an excerpt from a british book by W. Arnold-Forster, Shrubs for the Milder Counties. Not sure, but it looks like it's on Google books complete. It mentions that Eucryphias sometimes don't recover from being potbound - maybe that's the reason for the slow growth?

Here is a link that might be useful: Arnold-Forster

More about the link - it's a book from 1948, reprinted in 2000, still available through Amazon. It's an extensive though not complete preview through Google.

Bokbilde
Shrubs for the Milder Counties

av W. Arnold-Forster

First published in 1948, this book covers a range of shrubs that can be grown in the milder and maritime parts of Britain, and reviews many hardy shrubs that can be grown successfully in the colder co ...

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Kort omtale fra Nielsen Bookdata
First published in 1948, this book covers a range of shrubs that can be grown in the milder and maritime parts of Britain, and reviews many hardy shrubs that can be grown successfully in the colder counties. It also contains an Addendum of Plant Name Changes by Peter Clough.
Omtale fra Nielsen Bookdata
First published in 1948, W. Arnold-Forster's "Shrubs for the Milder Counties" is a classic in its field. Based on the author's long practical experience in his garden on a Cornish moor, it covers a wide range of shrubs that can be grown in the milder and maritime parts of Britain, and reviews many hardy shrubs that can be grown successfully in the colder counties. The writing is extraordinarily fresh and valid for today's gardeners. This new edition contains an Addendum of Plant Name Changes by Peter Clough.
Review - Nielsen Bookdata
As Lord Aberconwy states in his forward to this book, first published in 1948, "Cornwall has always set a noteworthy example in the skill of its great gardeners and in the beauty and number of its great gardens". The same holds true today, more than half a century later, with Cornwall viewed by many as the gardening Mecca of the British Isles. The mild climate found here enables those lucky enough to live here to grow shrubs that in most areas of the UK, bar Western Scotland and southern coastal regions, would not thrive. W. Arnold-Forster's classic text on these shrubs is as relevant today as it was in the post-war years of the 1940s, giving clear, detailed advice gleaned from both personal experience and that of his horticultural colleagues. Arnold-Forster's home was "Eagles Nest" set in a wind-blown Cornish moor. He transformed this rocky outcrop into a garden of note, learning which shrubs would survive very much by trial and error. And not only survive temperature-wise but would withstand the gale force winds and salt laden air. Quaintly written, redolent of it's era and echoing with the monumental rebuilding of the bombed towns and cities and urban replanting, the information and advice given on the erection of windbreaks and shelters is sound and worthy of note whilst the detailed plant resumes are full of useful tips on their ease of cultivation or otherwise. The addendum of plant name changes by Peter Clough brings the work uptodate, in as far as one can with today's taxonomic advances. With global warming increasing year by year, the range of so called tender plants that can now be grown outside all year is increasing rapidly and Arnold-Forster's plant list should inspire many to try them and perhaps surprise themselves. 'Shrubs for the Milder Counties is for those who like to garden on "the edge". ... If British summers are to get hotter the book may become more popular'. (Penelope Hobhouse, 'On My Bedside Table', Hortus, 73, Spring 2005).
Forfatterbiografi
W. Arnold-Forster studied at the Slade School of Art, under Tonks. He joined the Navy in the First World War, and then settled in a bleak house high above the cliff in west Cornwall. Here he worked for the League of Nations, wrote, painted, and gardened.
Table of contents
Introduction to the 2000 Edition, by Val Arnold-Forster A Note about the Photographs Foreword by The Rt. Hon. Lord Aberconway Preface I Opportunities and Problems II Wind and Shelter III Planting for Roadsides and Towns IV A General Planting List V Acacias VI Camellias VII Ceanothus VIII Eucalyptus IX Magnolias, by G.H. Johnstone X Metrosideros XI Nothofagus - Southern Beeches XII Olearias XIII Prunus, Pyrus and Sorbus XIV Rhododendrons and Azaleas XV Some Uncommon, Untried, or Tender Shrubs XVI Addendum - Plant Name Changes, by Peter Clough Index

The Bremerton tree was 52' x 2'3" x 27' in 1995. See Van Pelt, Champion Trees of Washington State. Examples as tall may have been grown inside the Broadmoor Country Club, Seattle prior to the awful* 1955-56 winter - when like many exotic trees and shrubs in the Arboretum next door these were destroyed. Jacobson, Trees of Seattle - Second Edition records recent heights of 20'-27':

Nymans eucryphia is easily raised, vigorous, and as beautiful as any we can grow. Old English specimens measure at most 75' x 6 1/3'. It is Seattle's most common eucryphia. Growth is rapid: it can reach nearly 40' in 15 years. But the tops often die in severe freezes, so it begins growing anew from lower down

*Cold growing season followed by hot fall which was abruptly ended by sudden plunge into severe cold. Even some native trees were thrown out of whack and severely damaged.

So, I ordered 'Rostrevor' to replace 'Mt Usher', at least have a smaller one in the event it likes its location. This discrepancy in reported growth is interesting - sounds like it definitely has its likes and dislikes, and grows fast if it's happy?