I’m looking for a type of lawn grass that is fairly drought-tolerant and will do well in our area (Seattle). Any suggestions?
One of the best resources for local information about lawn seed selection and general maintenance is David McDonald’s Ecologically Sound Lawn Care for the Pacific Northwest. It is available in print form as well as online from the City of Seattle. In it, he recommends a mix of turf-type perennial ryegrasses and fine fescues (such as chewings, creeping red, and hard fescue) for their flexibility in a range of local garden conditions. Ryegrasses thrive in full sun, and fescues take sun but will tolerate some shade. He also suggests ecolawns (sometimes called ecoturf) which mix grasses, clovers, yarrow, daisies, and other small flowering plants, because they tolerate dry sites, do not need fertilizer, and generally require only monthly watering. They also need mowing less frequently.