blooming lilies.

Mr. Amaral was expecting his Easter Lily crop to bloom at the end of March and admitted surprise at the early flowering.

And it is a pleasant surprise for anyone passing his field in Bleak Farm, Devonshire, to see the carpet of white flowers.

He has been growing flowers since the early 1960s and has never experienced a premature batch of lilies before.

He said: "It was a batch that I bought for $250 from a man who kept them in his backyard. I planted these and some others together in September. These have bloomed, the others will probably flower in time for Easter.

"I was very surprised to see this at this time of year. I doubt if I will be able to sell many of these.

"I do not know the history of the bulbs. I do not know if they have been frozen or if they are supposed to flower early.

"They are called something like Paradise, while most of the lilies on the Island are now Japanese.'' A spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Parks said the early bloom was not an uncommon phenomenon.

She said: "It has been known for many years that temperature regulation regulates the time to flowering.

"Commonly, bulbs are chilled for six weeks at 45-50 degrees and they will then bloom after planting in 120 days.'' EARLY BLOOMERS -- Mr. Joseph Amaral was surprised when his Easter Lilies bloomed in February.