Winter Savory

Winter savory is often planted by gardeners who expect the mild, delicate flavor of summer savory, and the first taste can be a surprise. The two plants are cousins — both in the mint family, both traditional bean herbs — but winter savory has a sharper, more resinous bite. It tastes peppery, almost pine-like, with a bitterness that becomes an asset in long-simmered dishes where a gentler herb would disappear. Summer savory is an annual and tastes like thyme softened with oregano. Winter savory is a woody perennial and tastes like thyme with an argument.

The plant's cold-hardiness and evergreen habit in mild winters make it worth the flavor adjustment. In zones 6 and warmer, winter savory often holds its leaves through December and into January, available when the rest of the herb garden has gone dormant. It tolerates lean, rocky soil and needs little water once established — a trait inherited from its origins in Mediterranean hillsides. Wet clay is what kills it, not cold. If your soil holds water after a rain, plant winter savory in a raised bed or mound the soil up around the crown.

The main maintenance task is cutting it back hard in spring before new growth starts. Left unpruned, winter savory becomes woody and sprawling, with most of the productive foliage at the ends of long stems. A spring pruning down to four or five inches forces the plant to put out dense new growth from the base, which gives you more harvestable leaves and a tidier shape. Some gardeners prune again in midsummer after flowering to keep the plant compact, though this is less critical than the spring cut.

Divide the plant every three to four years. An established clump will slowly die out in the center, leaving a ring of growth around the edges. Digging it up in early spring, splitting it into sections, and replanting the vigorous outer pieces keeps it productive. The woody center can be composted.

Harvest leaves anytime after the plant is eight weeks from transplant, but the flavor is strongest just before flowering. Strip whole stems rather than picking individual leaves — the stems are tough and woody by midsummer anyway, and stripping them encourages branching. Dried winter savory holds its flavor better than most herbs; hang bundles upside down in a warm, airy spot until the leaves crumble when rubbed.