"John" wrote in message
news:cRjQb.109919$nt4.422657@attbi_s51...
Just finished up planting 6 hybrid T bushes.. Armstrong gave me these
cardboard cylinders called rose chimneys. What is their purpose?


The purpose of the rose chimneys is to provide a holding place for the
mulch you will put over bare root roses when you plant
them so as to protect the roses from desiccating winds while they are
leafing out and leaving the state of dormancy. Place the chimneys
around the plant, fill it with mulch and moisten it. In a couple of
weeks (assuming you are in southern california),
when the plants break dormancy, remove the chimneys and clear away the
mulch from the base of the plant.

As for the fertilizer, I hope the fertilizer was a time release formula
or something specifically useful for bare root plants like
Vitamin B-1 or perhaps liquid kelp, etc. Fertilizing at planting time
runs the risk of burning the roots; however, it should not be fatal.
JD