While we were teased with a few cooler days in late September, the summer heat has not yet let go of its grip. Here in Los Angeles County and across Southern California, since Friday, October 2nd, we’re under an extreme heat warning alert expected to last until this coming Thursday, October 8th. Maximum temperatures predicted this Saturday and Sunday are 97°F (36°C) and 96°F (35.5°C), respectively. When taking the humidity into account, the actual temperatures rise to three-digit figures. My garden projects, planned for this weekend, will have to wait until it’s safe again to work outdoors.

For those of us living in California and other states in the Southwest, Summer 2026 has been brutal. We’re not alone. Across our contiguous states, this summer (June-August) has been the warmest summer in the last 132 years, beating records set in 1936 and 2021. This August was also the warmest August on record (1895 to the present). Daytime maximum temperatures averaged 88.6°F (31.4°C).

I’m now well versed in how to stay cool and well hydrated. Having an air-conditioner and electric fan make all the difference. To use as little energy as needed to cool down my apartment, I turn on the AC for two to three hours during the day and two hours at night. On a few excessively hot nights, I resorted to soaking my head to make it through the night. My energy bill tells the tale: a whopping 347 percent increase over the period June to September. Staying cool is costly.

During the peak of the heat wave in August, I only ventured outdoors for my annual medical checkup. The tree in the photo below (left) was taken outside the medical clinic. I took the photo of the tree with tiny yellow flowers (below right) while waiting at the bus stop in early September on an outing for my annual eyeglasses exam. The tiny yellow flowers against the azure sky are a delightful sight.

On those weekends when it was too hot for working outdoors in my garden, I just watered the plants late on Saturday evenings. For the most part, the trees and plants managed the heat very well. My son’s prized tiger eye plant is alive but has little leaf growth. I’m hoping that it will recover during the cooler days of autumn yet to come. Two succulent plants partially collapsed, presumably with heat stress: the firestick succulent planted in the ground near the wall and the potted prickly pear cactus. After the major cutback, the firestick already has new shoots.

Over the years, I’ve observed that not all plants thrive when confined together in a pot. Through trial and error, I’ve learned which plants do well together. In some cases, while a plant may tolerate sharing space with another plant from a different family, one of them ends up dominating the space, as shown in the photos below (click on photos for description). I do what I can to maintain balance by trimming excessive growth.

Other times, I’ve had to remove the stifled plant and transplant it to a pot all its own. We humans are not very different when it comes to sharing common space with others who aren’t related to us. Even relatives and friends can be problematic.

In the captioned photo, all the succulent plants in the water fountain are not doing well together. Besides, it doesn’t help that the area only receives a little morning sunlight. I plan to try again next spring with a different combination of succulents.

It’s a joy whenever I succeed in putting plants together that adapt well to sharing a confined space. Such is the case with the three potted plants shown below. These pots all contain a central plant—palm, African Milk bush, and spiked plant—around which the other plants have established themselves (click on photos for description).

It’s a joy, too, when we can make a home together with three to four strangers and find a way to live in harmony. I once lived in such a community with five religious sisters during my convent days. Sadly, that experience was short-lived as I was moved again to another sister-community, not as harmonious. I’m learning with plants that it’s okay to want our own space. It’s also okay to find companionship with others. Though our need for space to grow and flourish may differ, we can be stronger together. Stronger together to weather the extreme heat.