Hi Pattyanna,
glad we can be helpful.
I tend to use the osmocote type slow release granules in the pots and very little in the garden soil. If a plant is looking 'peeky' etc I will give it a feed with a soluble food like miracle grow. In the spring I add a granular feed to the soil as well as a mulch of home made compost in the autumn.

I garden on chalk and the camellia gets a feed designed for it in the spring too.

Hello: Welcome to GoY. We are all amateurs gardeners here but we can swap and share information about what works in the garden, and what doesn't.

There are three basic components to all fertilizers; Nitrogen (N) for leaf growth, Phosphorus (P): Development of roots, flowers, seeds, fruit, Potassium (K): Strong stem growth, movement of water in plants, promotion of flowering and fruiting.

Most fertilizers are some ratio of these three ingredients depicted by ##-##-## on the package. You just have to find the appropriate fertilizer for the specific plant you have in mind.

Agree with Seaburngirl - generally,, plants in the borders don't really need feeding, but most of us use a general purpose fertilizer in spring, something like Growmore granules, NPK 7-7-7, which are raked in or turned into the soil. They take six weeks to break down, and unless you've got a sickly plant, if you do it spring you don't need to it again the same year.

Using composted materials (garden compost, composted animal manure, leaf mould) as a mulch on top of the soil when the soil is damp in mid to late spring helps to keep down weeds and will improve the bio diversity of the soil - the higher the bio diversity, the healthier your plants will be, and the more likely they are to be able to source their own nutrients from the soil.

Plants in pots, though, do need feeding, but unless its just summer bedding which you're chucking out at the end of the season, don't feed past end of June because the days are getting shorter and its time for plants to think about putting on less growth and preparing for autumn/winter. Osmocote slow release granular feeds are fine, or Miracle Gro general purpose mixed in water, both fine for pots.