What a shock to smell this winter growing, spring flowering Gladioli carinatus when it bloomed for the first time yesterday. I smelt the perfume before I realised amongst all my tristis blooms this was lurking. its scent unlike G tristis is comparable to a Freesia, to my mind more sickly sweet. Its coped with sub zero temperatures for weeks in my unheated greenhouse, but despite this it has survived. Pollen has now been removed and in the freezer. I've put some summer flowering pollen to this, but as of yet, no pods are beginning to swell.