I recently acquired this Stapelia Gigantea. I am so intrigued by this very interesting plant! I am only concerned about the flower smell when it does bloom. I really want to keep this in my collection, but I currently have limited apartment space. I have two questions:

1) Will the plant ever bloom between months Sept-May while indoors or only in the summer? (I live in zone 7a)

2) If I have a small patio should I expect the smell to be strong in a small deck area (This space is also where we grill and eat outside.... as well as my neighbors patio being maybe 6 feet over)

I am planning to purchase my first home this winter so I'm hoping by the time we are settled and it moves back outside next summer I can put it somewhere where I can put it further away from our living space. Any advice or input is appreciated :)