The turf type tall fescue geminates in only 10 days versus 20 days for bluegrass. There are many other types of fescue grasses such as fine fescues, Kentucky 31 and others that have attributes that are quite different than the turf type tall fescue. Be sure to get the fescue labeled Turf Type Tall Fescue for the best results. For drier conditions you can opt for prairie grass mixes that include wheat grass in the mix. This will usually create a bunch grass look with patches of soil surrounding each clump and will not have the neat turf appearance of bluegrass and turf type tall fescue.
Buffalo grass is a warm season turf that is very drought resistant.
Being a warm season turf means that it will be slower to green up in spring and go dormant earlier in fall than cool season grasses like fescue and bluegrass. It has a rougher, greenish-gray appearance that is different than a dark green bluegrass sod. Buffalo grass requires full sun and will not tolerate heavy traffic. Many people like the softening effect buffalo grass creates in the landscape. The big advantage of buffalo grass is that it requires little if any supplemental watering and rarely needs mowing, if ever.