Plant · P-597

Savory Winter

Satureja montana

Winter Savory is a low, evergreen Mediterranean subshrub in the mint family, grown mainly for its peppery, marjoram-like leaves - sharper in flavour than summer savory and used the same way in bean and meat dishes, or brewed as a tea. It needs full sun and lean, well-drained, alkaline soil; wet ground, especially in winter, is what kills it, not cold. Its evergreen growth shelters overwintering insects year-round and its summer flowers draw bees heavily, but plants tend to lose vigour after a couple of years and are usually replaced on that cycle.