Seed can come in. As far as I know we face the same procedures for bulbs from New Zealand as from anywhere else - which makes it prohibitive. But seed, with its genetic diversity, is always my favourite way to acquire species lilies anyway.
Hmm... being cold and wet is probably much less to L. philippinense's liking than simply being cold. I've been on a google search for habitat details now! Apparently a pioneer species of steep slopes between 754m to 2,155m, experiencing cool (for the Philippines!) dry winters. Good snow cover would keep your bulbs warmer and drier than they get here on the coast or on your Alaskan friend's coast. Guess I'll keep trying though, because L. formosanum seems to like it well enough here. The best I've seen grow in the root zone (but not the shade) of conifers... it will take me a decade or two to have a nice-sized conifer zone for those special lilies!
