I arrived home from the San Francisco Flower Show close to midnight on Saturday night and as I stumbled to the front door, I was stopped in my tracks by a wonderful fragrance. In the dark, I couldn't pinpoint it, but the next morning when I walked outside, I saw that my Gladiolus tristis are in full exuberant bloom. I knew they released their scent in the afternoon but I had no idea how strong it is at night. I expect they are moth pollinated since they are a ghostly pale yellow and fragrant when it is dark outside. I started with just a few bulbs and now six or seven years later, they are very generous clumps. My mediterranean climate seems to be much to their liking - helped along by the fact that I am very stingy with summer water. In a few weeks, I expect that their polar opposite, G. byzantinus will be blooming its fiery magenta head off. Similar scale plants and similar scale flowers, but leaves are about 1/2" across (G. tristis leaves are as fine as a blade of grass). Both grow to about 2' tall in my garden. G. dalenii blooms in fall here in Southern California. The spring glads do so well and are so easy that I included them in my recent book. Hope this helps, Dell! PS I wholeheartedly agree that species glads are far more beautiful than the gaudy ones that are best used in funeral arrangements. Nan ***************************************** Nan Sterman Plant Soup, Inc. TM TalkingPoints@PlantSoup.Com PO Box 231034 Encinitas, CA 92023 Order your personalized copy of the all new California Gardener's Guide vol II at http://www.plantsoup.com/ Watch A Growing Passion now on YouTube! Search for all five segments, starting at http://youtube.com/watch/? v=4bpTdXY3cG8