Aquilegia canadensis 'Corbett' begins blooming with irises, and will thrive in drier conditions than its hybrid relatives. Knowing nothing about prairie smoke, but intrigued by its name, I first planted it almost 20 years ago after a trip to a local native plant nursery near Chicago. I was rewarded in even the driest years by delicate maroon flowers followed by the showy plumes that give the plant its common name. Rosa 'Abraham Darby' in a long, deep container of moisture-retentive soil, with plenty of compost and moderate water use, but they're better suited to drier conditions than either rose or lady's mantle. Pinks, with their gray-blue foliage, will also flourish in a very lean, gritty soil, so I'll move them and some of the Knautia to a less rich neighborhood.
Many roses are tough and do have a place in the water-efficient mixed border.
Think of all the cemetery roses that have flourished for years with little care, and the thickets of Rosa carolina and R. rugosa on beach dunes. Rugosa roses like 'Sarah Van Fleet' and 'Blanc Double de Coubert' have proven themselves in adverse conditions. The Heritage Rose Foundation recently polled its members for roses that performed well during 1999's calamitous weather. Further Reading The following volumes offer additional tips on climate-conscious gardening. But keep in mind that the very qualities that help plants adapt to extreme conditions also make some of them invasive.