UC Verde Buffalo grass. I planted mine in the middle of May this year. Here is what it looks like today. It is still filling in. You don't have to mow it if you don't want to. I choose to. Once established, requires 12 inches of water a year. If you have any questions, let me know.

Cause we're in severe condition of water shortage.

Turfgrass is best in this kind of warm-season, which need 20% less water than cool-season grasses,
are the best bet for California's drought conditions.

Jestak, we are all looking for a lawn plant to replace out grass. The grasses said to be drought tolerant are also said to be difficult to grow from seed, which is not that easy to find. Instead people start out with plugs. I have no idea of where to get plugs in my area but I also doubt I could afford the price of an entire lawn. I am considering planting white clover. At least I can find the seeds. I watered my lawn once in June and once in July. Hard to believe but the part in dappled shade is still green. The rest is brown.

Some kind person once linked a website here that would show native plants by county. I promptly went there and found that creeping red fescue was my local grass. When I went to look for seed (online) I learned that the fescue is not good in heat. It goes dormant until cool temperatures return. The struggle continues....

I don't have experience with this yet, but I'll let you know what the owner of the nursery I use recommended: Zoysia. He also recommended running a Tekline instead of sprinkling systems. I've spoken with my gardener about this, and he's already installed grass with underground irrigation lines every 12".

The best source of information for true native grasses is the Theodore Payne Foundation.

Myself, I've got a lot of native California, Texas and Australian plants around my yard, but am going for a downsized lawn with a type of grass that requires less water than most, and am going to the expense of underground irrigation. I've already ripped out tons of lawn and spent a fortune on boulders, flagstone, and pebbles to fill out the previous lawn space. Plus, the cost of installation of drip irrigation, et al, has been very high.

No wonder people are so reluctant to rip out their lawns. The alternative is extremely expensive.

Understand a bit about grass will help. There are two general types: the kind that grow in warm weather, like Bermuda and St. Augustine ("warm season"), and the kind that grow in cool weather, like Fescue ("cool season").

Water needs aside, Bermuda looks worst in the winter, because it's close to dormant in the winter. Fescue looks worst in the summer, because it's close to dormant in the summer.

Some grasses grow in clumps that either don't spread at all, or spread a little. These are better behaved, but they don't repair themselves quickly when damaged by, for example, dog urine. Burns spots stay burnt for a long time. Fescue (for example) is more of a clumper.

Spreading grasses, like St. Augustine, will rapidly repair dog urine burn spots because they spread, or "run", rooting and forming new plants as they grow. They are not as well behaved, because they can spread into plant beds. So it's a trade-off between control-ability and repair-ability.

If you have small kids, nothing will replace a turf grass lawn. Nothing. It's the play surface of choice. Pets don't really care what they play on. My dog's play surface of choice is mud, of which there is none on our property.

Some less thirsty choices are the UC Verde grass, or a hybrid, sterile (non-reseeding) Bermuda. Zoysia is also sometimes recommended, but it can spread and be invasive, so that is something to consider. It also turns brown without sufficient water. Hybrid Fescues are soft and a beautiful green, but they need more water.

disadvantages of Zoysia, Zoysia vs. Bermuda, etc.

Read and investigate and learn a little, it will help you with your choice.

Hybrid grasses tend to be better performers, but more expensive, and may only be available to purchase as sod, which is more expensive than seed. The expense may be well worth the higher price, because in the long run, maintenance and watering of a lawn costs far more than the original purchase price.

Look around and make sure whatever you choose is a good choice for your particular local area. California is a big state and what works in Claremont won't have the same performance in Santa Cruz or Napa.