Savoury Winter

Description

Satureja montana – winter savory

Botanical name: Satureja montana
Common names: Winter savory
Family: Lamiaceae (mint family)
Plant type: Semi-evergreen aromatic sub-shrub
Habit: Low, compact, bushy
Pot size: 1 litre pot
Eventual size: Approx. 30–40cm tall × 30cm spread
Foliage: Narrow, aromatic dark green leaves; semi-evergreen
Flowers: Small white to pale pink flowers in summer (July–September)
Scent: Strongly aromatic, peppery foliage
Aspect / light: Full sun
Soil: Sharply drained; poor to average; tolerates lime; dislikes wet; any pH
Hardiness: RHS H5 (hardy, to about −15°C); USDA zones 5–8
Exposure: Open, hot, dry, sunny
Native range: Native to southern Europe
Toxicity / pet & child safety: Generally considered non-toxic to people and pets

Satureja montana, winter savory, is a neat, aromatic sub-shrub with narrow dark green leaves and small white-pink summer flowers. Drought-tolerant and bee-friendly, it is superb for sunny borders, edging and pots.

GardenAdvice notes

A neat, compact Mediterranean sub-shrub, winter savory forms a low, bushy mound of narrow, strongly aromatic dark green leaves, studded in summer with small white to pale pink flowers that bees adore. Semi-evergreen and drought-tolerant, it thrives in hot, dry, sunny positions and makes an excellent low edging or herb-garden plant, rather like a peppery-scented cousin of thyme.

Growing & planting

Plant in spring in sharply drained, poor to average soil in full sun — it thrives on dry, even limy soils and dislikes rich, wet ground. Ideal for gravel, sunny borders, low edging and containers. Improve heavy soil with grit. Space about 30cm apart.

Care & maintenance

Low-maintenance. Trim over after flowering to keep it neat and bushy, but avoid cutting hard back into the old, bare wood. Water only while establishing; thereafter it is drought-tolerant. Keep it on the dry side, especially over winter, to avoid rot.

Propagation

• Cuttings: Take semi-ripe cuttings in summer.
• Seed: Sow seed in spring.
• Division: Divide established plants in spring.

Pests & diseases

Generally trouble-free in a sunny, well-drained spot. Its main enemy is winter wet, which causes rot. Otherwise little troubled by pests or disease.

Uses in the garden

Superb for gravel and Mediterranean-style gardens, sunny borders, low edging, herb gardens and containers, where its neat aromatic foliage and bee-friendly flowers earn their place.

Wildlife value

Winter savory is an excellent bee plant: its late-summer flowers are very attractive to bees and other pollinating insects.

Toxicity & safety

This herb is generally regarded as non-toxic to people and pets.

GardenAdvice tip

Winter savory is an under-used little herb — neat, evergreen-ish, and covered in bee-friendly flowers in late summer, rather like a peppery thyme. Treat it exactly like thyme or lavender: full sun, poor sharp-draining soil, dry over winter, and a trim after flowering to keep it compact, always stopping short of the bare old wood.

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