Winter Savory
Satureja montana
Family Lamiaceae
While the rest of the herb bed sleeps, winter savory keeps serving — sharp, peppery-piney leaves you can pick in nearly any month, the classic 'bean herb' for pots of beans, sausage, and stuffing. Summer savory quits with the season; this one is the perennial answer.
As a garden citizen it's a tidy semi-evergreen mound, 6-12 inches, that clips into fragrant edging along a path and hums with bees when the late white flowers open. Lean soil and drought only improve its manners. Line the vegetable bed with it and season all winter.
Full Sun
Low water
Slow growth
Attracts bees
From the print shop
Growing winter savory? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries winter savory — Satureja montana, print Nº 515, “Winter Savory.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what winter savory actually needs.
Hardy inZones 5-9Winter Savory · Common problems
Common winter savory problems
Pests
1 problem on file
- Almost none
Diseases
1 problem on file
- Root Rot in wet clay
Winter Savory · Growing & propagation
Growing winter savory
- Light
- Full Sun
- Water
- Low
Drought-tough Mediterranean herb
Soil- Lean, sharp drainage · pH 6.5 - 7.5
Fertilizer- None
Pruning- After bloom, shear lightly
The hardy perennial cousin of summer savory — a low, semi-evergreen, drought-proof subshrub with a sharper, more resinous flavor. Classic with beans, sausages, and stuffing, and its late flowers are a bee favorite. Makes a neat low edging or knot-garden hedge. Shear after bloom to keep it dense.
Spacing- 10-12 in
How to plant & propagate winter savory
- Propagate
- Division or seed
Winter Savory · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Winter Savory · Yearly calendar
The winter savory year, month by month
Jan
HarvestJanuary to December
Bloom
HarvestBloomAugust
HarvestJanuary to December
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
- Harvest — picking time — check ripeness every few days.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Winter Savory · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Satureja montana
Winter Savory in the garden system
- Herbaceous layer perennial
- Nectary/insectary
Attracts- Bees
Moisture- Upland / dry
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
Origin- Introduced
What winter savory is grown for
✓ Commonly eaten
- Use
- Bean herb
- Use
- Evergreen edging
- Use
- Bee forage
- Use
- Perennial
- Edible value
- 3/5
Harvesting & storing winter savory
Sharp, peppery-piney leaves year-round (evergreen in mild winters) — the perennial 'bean herb'.
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Winter Savory · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a winter savory variety
Species; 'Nana' (dwarf); creeping savory (S. spicigera)
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.
Winter Savory
Satureja montana
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Satureja montana
- Plant family
- Lamiaceae
- Growth habit
- Perennial
- Origin
- Introduced
- USDA plant symbol
- SAMO6
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
for Winter Savory
Research from these sources
Publisher marks identify sources, not sponsorship or endorsement.
Questions
Winter Savory questions, answered straight.
Is winter savory safe for kids and pets?
Winter Savory is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.
When do you harvest winter savory?
Sharp, peppery-piney leaves year-round (evergreen in mild winters) — the perennial 'bean herb'.
How do you propagate winter savory?
Division or seed.
Elsewhere
Where winter savory sits in the library.
Comfrey
Lavender
Rosemary
Anise Hyssop