I, too, plant away from the foundation wall. The path between the perennial bed and the house is 24 inches wide. Nothing is planted closer to the house than that. It gives me a path behind the bed to move along to perform maintenance. I do not have much of a roof overhang on that side of the house, and have never had a problem with dryness.
I mulch the perennial bed and use the same mulch on the path at the back between the house and the bed. It gives it a neat look.
