How Does Your Garden Grow?

Gardening can be a relaxing, fulfilling, and enjoyable hobby. However, it can also be incredibly frustrating when your flowers don’t grow. And who wants to sit around and look at tiny flowers? Make your garden bench the most enjoyable place in your yard by making sure your plants are properly fertilized.


The first step to picking out a proper fertilizer is being able to read the label. Fertilizer labels should contain three numbers, which represent the respective levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. So if the label says 10-10-10, the fertilizer contains 10 percent nitrogen, 10 percent phosphorus, and 10 percent potassium.

Each element has a certain advantage to your plants, so choose fertilizer depending upon what benefits are most important for your garden. Nitrogen promotes “green growth,” which makes grass grow and bushes leaf out. Phosphorus promotes root and bloom growth, and potassium is used for overall plant health.

When you first plant your flowers, use a fertilizer heavier on the nitrogen. Then, when your plants are about to bud, switch to a fertilizer with a higher percentage of phosphorus. Make sure that your fertilizer always has at least 10 percent potassium so that your plants will be healthy and lush.

Using the proper fertilizer will create flowers worthy of your garden bench. Give your garden a little extra attention, and it will greatly improve the aesthetics of your backyard.