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Echoing those who said Bermuda if/where you have full sun. While the seeded hybrids are improving, you're probably better off with sterile, sod-only hybrids. TifTuf is good, as is TifGrand if you can find it. Unfortunately for either option, I don't think this is the best time of year to get started, with Bermuda slowing down and about to go into dormancy. It'll take some maintenance when sod is first put down--frequent watering, etc.--but that's true of establishing any new grass. After that, for low maintenance go with the upper range on mowing height, mowing once a week during peak summer growing, and the things you'd need regardless of grass type: granular fertilizer for warm season grass every 4-6 weeks, pre-emergent weed control at least spring and fall. Bermuda wants ~1.5" water per week during peak growing, but will survive if not thrive with whatever nature provides. If you decide you're up for a little more maintenance for a denser lawn, cut lower and more often and bump up the nitrogen.
For shaded areas, well, I haven't figured out what to do either. I have one area, about 300 sq ft, that doesn't get near enough sun for Bermuda. Will likely either go zoysia, so things will be consistently brown over winter, or think outside the box and go with turf-mimicking liriope or mondograss, especially if I start winter overseeding rye for year-round green.
If you're not in an HOA, turf-like ground cover is something you might want to consider for the whole yard.
Is there an undisputed champion in this area for low maintenance grass? Or is it a "pick your poison" type of situation where every grass has its own unique maintenance challenges such that it is hard to declare one the clear low maintenance winner?
We have Centipede out front, south/southeast exposure. We NEVER water, in fact we had our irrigation dismantled a couple years ago so we don't have to do the backflow thing. We have it by default, since the lawn was a mess when we moved in and that was the dominant species...DH planted and sodded and babied the lawn and finally got it to grow. Next door neighbors have zoysia looks and feels great but not starting over. They don't water much if at all either, TBH.
We have Bermuda out back. It's been prone to do wonky things when the weather isn't perfect for the given season...which in NC is always...and died right off where it doesn't get enough sun (edges, so don't care). It's fine.
It's the ultimate lazy-man's grass.
Zoysia is denser, and might feel a little better underfoot, and looks a little bit nicer overall.
But for the ultimate in no mx grass, centipede it is. Downside, it pretty much has to be sodded because it takes so long to grow.
Zoysia does spread so it would be easier to plug or establish from seed. It also will fill in damaged areas much faster. But, that's also its downside as it spreads so much it will completely take over all mulched landscaped areas. Centipede will also green up faster in the spring and stay greener longer in the fall.
Echoing those who said Bermuda if/where you have full sun. While the seeded hybrids are improving, you're probably better off with sterile, sod-only hybrids. TifTuf is good, as is TifGrand if you can find it. Unfortunately for either option, I don't think this is the best time of year to get started, with Bermuda slowing down and about to go into dormancy. It'll take some maintenance when sod is first put down--frequent watering, etc.--but that's true of establishing any new grass. After that, for low maintenance go with the upper range on mowing height, mowing once a week during peak summer growing, and the things you'd need regardless of grass type: granular fertilizer for warm season grass every 4-6 weeks, pre-emergent weed control at least spring and fall. Bermuda wants ~1.5" water per week during peak growing, but will survive if not thrive with whatever nature provides. If you decide you're up for a little more maintenance for a denser lawn, cut lower and more often and bump up the nitrogen.
For shaded areas, well, I haven't figured out what to do either. I have one area, about 300 sq ft, that doesn't get near enough sun for Bermuda. Will likely either go zoysia, so things will be consistently brown over winter, or think outside the box and go with turf-mimicking liriope or mondograss, especially if I start winter overseeding rye for year-round green.
If you're not in an HOA, turf-like ground cover is something you might want to consider for the whole yard.
Go Mondo! You won't regret it. No HOA will be able to distinguish it from fescue. Stick some plugs in the middle of a field of fescue, and gradually, (and undetectably from the perspective of the HOA police) your lawn will be replaced over the course of several years by this little champ of a ground cover.
What else:
-Looks like grass
-Can be cut like grass (But really, you don't have to! I cut mine low once in early spring, and then like 2 or 3 more times during the growing season at the mower's highest setting)
-Stays perfectly green year round with no watering
-Is absolutely, utterly impervious to drought (deep roots and rhizomes)
-Grows so densely that it chokes out all weeds with zero spraying.
-Is perfectly happy in everything from the withering sunlight next to a pavement-induced heat island, to full, dense, year-round shade
-Stands up to foot traffic like a champ
Only downside: It has to be planted by plugs and takes a while to fill in.
One caveat: Contrary to what most google searches or landscaping sites will tell you, DO NOT get tricked into getting Dwarf Mondo. It's lower so you *never* mow it, but it spreads too slowly. Fine if you want it to stay where it is, but if you want a lawn that actually fills in, regular mondo is much, much better.
I have zoysia. We put it down as sod 8 years ago, watered it regularly for the first year, and we haven't had any problems since. We're very happy with it. It's thick, resists weeds, and the only real maintenance I do is mow weekly with my mulching blade. I keep it at 1.5 inches. I do have a lawn service that comes and lays down fertilizer and broad-leaf anti-weed treatments over the summer. I water it about once a week or less during the summer pending rainfall. I do miss the dark green color of fescue that I used to have, but it's a small price to pay for a good looking weed-free low maintenance lawn.
Reading this I forgot totally about all of the issues with fescue- what a nightmare it was trying to keep it looking nice. We have Bermuda here. I hope our new home community doesn't require fescue!
Much of my yard is heavily shaded from oaks and the house, so cold weather grass does better here. I can see how warm-weather grasses would do better in newer neighborhoods or those with fewer trees, though.
Zoysia. If it is strong and fertilized it really will crowd out weeds. We also did have not watered it this year and in my back year where there is shade it still does well. The only downside to it is that it invades my flower beds. I find it is thicker and looks better than bermuda. We have a couple of bermuda patches.
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