If we remember (and we often don't!) in spring we give the clematises a bit of fertilizer formulated for clematises. DH grows some veggies in pots and gives them some all-purpose fertilizer a couple of times. The soil in the pots has a fair bit of compost in it - either our own or what DH picks up at the town's compost give-away (they make compost from garden waste picked up on garbage days...) Other than that, things survive on their own. We don't mulch but do leave most fallen leaves etc. to 'compost in place' in the beds. Simple, easy, works for us.... The soil here is clay so is reasonably fertile - although we've never had it tested to determine exact nutrient levels.

I only fertilise the veggies and my pots...but as I have so many, I use 6month, slow release Osmacote type pellets - a portion in every pot, vaguely adjusted for size. I prefer to treat my plants like my sweetheart - 'treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen'.

if you want to invest longterm

"feed" the soil, like NHBas suggested.

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guessed 3/4 of all products of fertilizer can be skipped, around here

they sell:

Tomato fert

herb fert

box fert

veggie fert

...

a soil test could be good, just to make sure you are / your soil is in some average range.

if you use compost and horn stuff that should suffice.

iron or some such are often used as last resorts for plants that are nor suitable for a particular site and grow poorly permanently

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alfalfa pellets (with no stuff added), a horse feed, is good stuff as well.

cocoa shells (bad for dogs)

wool pellets

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if you avoid moneral fertilizer your microbes will thrive

and those mine nutrients from the soil, even phosphate and release it when they die, than the plant can get it.

rules of thumb (which work for me, Europe, z7, soil a nice loam)

no fert/ compost for lvender, Thyme, Rosemary (sub-shrubs)

very little fert (cow manure-pellets), but mulch (shredded hemp) for

hardy perennials like cranesbill, perennial sunflower, daylily

lots of mulch, some manure for roses, clematis, kiwi, berries (less manure), tall Dahlias

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hardly ever use lime

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sprinkle mineral K-fertilizer about every other year, did not find an organic source for that.

if you could specify your aims/ plant that would help

I'm lazy about some things, and fertilizing is one of them. Plus, I really don't think there is a need if the soil is healthy. I do fertilize annual flowers and veggies with Osmocote -- it's an extended-release formula (read: once and done for the season). If I remember to, I'll also give the Oriental lilies a shot of it, they are heavy feeders. Other than that, I don't fertilize -- no need to. Keep the soil healthy with lots of organic matter - mostly fallen leaves collected in the fall used as mulch. I now have access to horse manure, which we do till into the veggie garden after it ages, and I also tilled in into my new border. I never used manure before this house, though, and always did just fine with fallen leaves -- over the years the soil is enriched.

I mulch planting beds with compost and use Omsocote and/or Dyna Gro in my containers. That's it. I have a lot of containers.....it takes a couple of days to hit them all with ferts in spring.

Zone 6. I am a no fuss gardener. I also use osmacote on my planters, flower and vegetable gardens once a year in the spring. For shrubs or trees I only use it when they are first planted. I never had my soil tested or never probably will. Except for the new builds where they strip the good soil from the property, the soil in our area is pretty good. The key for me is to plant what grows well for my location.

Not fertilizer, but I do use wood ash (which does the same job as lime but is generated locally) on the veggie garden. With my highly acidic soil, it will bring the pH up into a more reasonable range for veggies and makes nutrients that are in the soil more available. I do this most years.

[Climbing onto my soapbox]. I think much of our fascination with fertilizers comes from companies like Scotts which is like the beauty industry but for lawns and gardens . . . Something is always flawed or inadequate or not lovely enough so needs enhancing (whether it truly does or not). So they are in the business of selling, trying to convince us that we need their products regardless of actual need. I live next to a river that flows to the Atlantic about 60 miles south of me, and I want to do what I can to reduce nonpoint source pollutionin the river and my part of the coastal Atlantic. A fair amount of quick release fertilizer likely ends up in surface water runoff or groundwater because there is only so much that the plants can absorb before it washes away. If your plants are showing distress, then get a soil test to figure out what you need. Otherwise, except for pots and a few heavy feeders, you are likely just fine with letting organic mulches break down.

Same as Campanula. No fertiliser at all in the garden. Osmacote in the pots about twice a year. Whatever comes to hand when I remember on the allotment vegetables, often nothing at all. Compost, compost, compost everywhere, any time.

Well this is a very consistent consensus across experienced gardeners in many locations and styles! Compost, plus osmocote for containers, vegetables and heavy feeders. Period. Got it! (Although there were no Rosarians posting. Would they have agreed?)

I am a rosarian (well, I have a lot of them) and don't bother fertilising them either...but I don't grow exhibition roses, or demanding hybrid teas...but shrubs, ramblers and climbers do perfectly well without any fertilser other than water and sunlight. Would you fertilise a philadelphus? Or a kerria? Of course not (although surface amendments such as leafmould and compost do a lot to maintain friability and moisture holding abilities in the soil).