Best Savory Varieties for Scotland

Savory comes as three different plants, and the choice is about how long you want it to last and how strong a flavour you want. In Scotland the thing to get right is drainage, since savory wants full sun and free-drainingSoil that lets water pass through quickly rather than pooling, so roots aren't sitting in wet ground after rain. Full definition → soil.

What Scotland means for the choice

Savory thrives in full sun and free-draining conditions, in the ground or in containers, so a wet climate and heavy ground are what count against it, and a raised bed or a pot of gritty compost helps. Winter and creeping savory are rated H5The RHS's H1a–H7 scale for how much cold a plant can survive outdoors, H1a being tender indoor-only and H7 hardy anywhere in the UK. Full definition →, hardy to between -15 and -10°C, which may struggle on exposed, central or northerly sites, and winter savory is only semi-evergreen: it sheds its leaves in very cold weather. All three prefer alkaline or neutral soil, while much of Scotland's soil is naturally acidic, so avoid strongly acid ground. The winter savory guide covers winter and creeping savory in depth, and the summer savory guide covers the annual.

None of the three holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit, and none has named cultivarsA plant variety that arose or was bred under cultivation and is kept true by deliberate propagation, rather than a naturally occurring wild species. Full definition →.

Winter savory

Winter savory is a dwarf, shrubby perennial that lives for several years. It's hardy but semi-evergreen: it sheds its leaves in very cold weather, though in milder regions it keeps them through winter, so you can pick all year. The leaves have an earthy, spicy, peppery flavour, and the flowers are mauve or white. Harvest the fresh new leaves for the best flavour.

Creeping savory

Creeping savory is a low-growing perennial about 10cm tall, with tiny, highly aromatic leaves and a strong spicy flavour, and white flowers. It suits edging and the front of a border, and may be harder to track down than the other two.

Summer savory

Summer savory is an annual, sown in spring and harvested from midsummer until it dies off in autumn. It forms a bushy plant about 30cm tall and wide, and its narrow leaves have a milder, more delicate flavour than winter savory, harvested over a shorter period than winter savory's. It's a key ingredient in herbes de Provence, and savory is often used in bean and lentil dishes.

Buying savory

Seed of summer and winter savory is sold by some garden centres and by online seed suppliers, particularly herb specialists. Young plants turn up from the same places in spring and summer, and they're often the easier way to start. Creeping savory can be harder to track down. Remember that summer savory dies in autumn, so you'll need new plants or fresh seed each spring, while winter and creeping savory should last several years.

All three grow in a pot at least 20cm wide and deep, which is the simplest way to give them the sharp drainage they need on heavy ground. Their tiny white or mauve summer flowers are a good source of nectar for bees, and the leaves have the best flavour fresh.

Which one for your situation

• A permanent herb bed, picking for years: winter savory.
• Leaves through a mild winter: winter savory, or evergreen creeping savory.
• Low edging or ground cover: creeping savory.
• The mildest flavour, or a pot you resow each spring: summer savory.

Common questions

Sources