Cool, moist stratification is the key - if you've carried that buckeye around in your pocket all winter - or had 'em sitting in a bucket somewhere drying out - and then plant 'em in spring, you're not gonna get any growth. Taproot? It's not a magical thing. Yes, they do provide anchorage, but mainly, they're a 'reserve energy storage vessel' storing and providing energy to push growth at the next leaf-out. Sure, when I'm digging a taprooted species for transplanting, I try to preserve as much taproot as is practical, but If I cut it shorter than I like, I don't consider it to be a death sentence for the tree.

Our main floor has Brazilian Teak and was just installed last week. It will be site finished sometime around the end of June. Dh and I decided to add a small area of hardwood around our Bonus Room wet bar. The builder agreed but sent us to pick out some prefinished wood. In the showroom I found some prefinished teak that would be fine but my eye caught some gorgeous Brazilian Walnut also known as Ipe. It was very rich looking and the salesman said it was one of the hardest woods around. Just wanted to see if anyone had this in their homes. I guess it's often used for decking too. Here's a picture of it from Kentwood's website:

Solid anything doesn't work with slab foundations. What type of foundaton does your home have?

Been looking at flooring (LVP or wood) for our downstairs around 1000 sq ft. I've found some LVP products I like but I'm a little uncertain about all the imported stuff that manufacturers claim as their brand and I would prefer wood (and possibly tile in the kitchen). I liked a Shaw product from their Royal Collection and found an affordable product from a DuChateau line called American Guild. It's a beautiful product from the Hemingway collection called Seashell. Anyone have any knowledge of this product?