Don't buy regular/common Kentucky Bluegrass (Kenblue is one of them) get the Turf Type or Elites if you will. They are much better resistant to disease and heat. The old ones are probably more drought tolerant, but just a bit more and not enough to overlook at the benefits of the Elite-type Bluegrasses. The best drought tolerant Bluegrass is going to be the Hybrid ones based on various University Studies. They can go about 40 days without water before they start to wilt. Another option is to go with Turf Type (elite types) Perennial Ryegrass. The reason I say this is because if you are not going to water during the summer and your are going to lose some if not nearly all of your turf, then PRG is going to get to work MUCH faster than any bluegrass or Fescue. It germinates in 4 to 5 days, and 2 weeks later you're mowing - a week later you have sod. Dark green, dense, traffic tolerant, fine bladed, and nearly weed free. It establishes so fast that weeds don't have time to germinate. As far as your clay soil becoming hard during droughts, that is accurate. If you let clay soil dry out completly, it can take several rainfall to get it wet and to hold water again. The key is not to let the soil dry out between rainfalls. I understand your situation with the well, but remember that the 2007 summer was as rare as an April snowfall in Raleigh... Dogs can damage lawns very easely, specially if they dig it all the time. They usally like mark the perimeter of the property and create pathways in the process, which they use often. I hope it's not the case for you. Click on the link below for info on Hybrid Bluegrasses: It appears that Reveille is the most drought tolerant of the Hybrid Bluegrasses, it is also generically dark green. Picture was taken on August 12, 2009 at the NTEP site in Raleigh. Here is a link that might be useful: Hybrid Bluegrasses

There are lots of great grasses, some requiring more maintenance than others. If I were you, I'd contact the Craven County Cooperative Extention office for a list, they'll give you an unbiased list and local sources to get them. I live near Wilmington and love Pennisteum 'Rubrum' and am trying out blue fescue. The latter, I may find is a bit invasive, but I have the time to deal with that. Good luck and welcome to NC! Barb

I'm in Durham, and if you want low maintenance that you don't have to water I'd probably just do Bermuda on a full sun location. Bermuda does best when mowed a little more often (it does best shorter than fescue). It also likes to be fertilized a little more often (up to a pound of N per month during growing season). But it won't die on you if you miss those tasks on time, the same way fescue will get sad if you miss watering it.

Everything gdpossehl said! Plus, I'm in your same area and have the same soil! The original homeowner planted English Ivy and we're breaking our backs getting rid of it! Resist the temptation!! This year, we've had TONS of wild, native violets coming up and I've even been pulling them from the gravel driveway and transplanting them into spots where we've eradicated the ivy. They're a wonderful, native groundcover and look beautiful in garden beds too! I'm big into using natives, so my suggestions will show that. Try Maypop (passion flower vine) along the fence. It grows very quickly, has phenomenal flowers and is evergreen. You can cut it all the way back each year to keep it neat, but no need to. Moss will NOT work with a dog. We have a moss yard and it's super super delicate! The deer tear it up super easily and it gets invaded by weeds that have to be hand-removed (except in the deepest shade like under the canopy of a Japanese maple....the moss looks awesome there!). I definitely think you could do some semi-raised (even just mounded for a more natural look) beds around the edges/corners. Then you could have beautiful native bushes (itea, clethra, viburnum, etc.) grouped with ferns and other shade-lovers. I've found that it's no use to fight the clay! Remember that clay soil has a ton of nutrients! It's just a bit dense for many plants. But not all! There are tons of plants that are clay tolerant. I think your biggest problem is that that soil looks hard-packed. You'll need to loosen it up where you want to plant. I would just dig down a bit and amend with compost and peat. That does the trick for me. Though this nursery doesn't sell to the public, check their site for an amazing assortment of native plants! www.northcreeknurseries.com . You can then check with local nurseries for ones you want, or check online. Good luck!