I talked with Berling from Berlington Nursery a while back about lawns. She wholesales plants to many nurseries as well as selling miniature roses. She told me that there is a big demand for buffalo grass as it does not require a lot of water and a lot of care. Her nursery is located in the San Joaquin Valley in California where they are going into their fourth year of severe drought.
As for my lawn, who knows what kind of grass Mrs. J planted ? I've removed a lot of it to make beds, but still have about 400 sq ft left. I am not going to make any more beds, so that stays. I do water it primarily to water the maple tree and the roses in the top tier that have extended their roots into that area. (Mrs. J had made that tier far to narrow for the roses she planted, so the roots sought water under the lawn area.)
Since we have no water restrictions up here, I do water it deeply once a week. I don't mow often because I think the longer grass maintains moisture better in my high summer temps.
Smiles,
Lyn
