How to Grow Winter Savories UK
On this page
In the UK, winter savory goes in the ground early March to mid April.
Timing is the decision that matters most in the UK: sowing early March, and that same window applies across all 4 regions covered here.
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Winter Savory (Satureja montana)
2 sources cited · Verified
When to Plant Winter Savories in the UK
When to plant winter savories in the UK: in Southern England, sow early March to mid April. Find your area in the table below.
Quick Facts
Growth Stages
Harvest & Storage
Winter Savory Photo Gallery
Plan your Winter Savories planting
When to sow and plant Winter Savories depends on your own frost dates. Check the UK vegetable planting calendar. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.
What the research guides add
Winter savory is the perennial of the two savories, with a stronger flavour than summer savory.
- A low-growing, shrubby perennial herb that can also serve as an ornamental border; it is grown from cuttings or seed in early spring and harvested in summer when in flower. (NC State Extension)
- It is easy to grow in sandy, well-drained soil with dry or medium moisture and full sun; it tolerates light shade but does not do well in damp soil. (NC State Extension)
- It can be harvested within 2 months of sowing. The plants live for several years but are best replaced every two years because they stop producing new growth as they age. (NC State Extension)
- It is a good companion for onions and beans, its flowers attract bees, and it is rarely troubled by deer. (NC State Extension)
Sources for this section
Section researched and checked on 25 October 2026 by the SoilCommander Editorial Team. How we check facts: editorial policy.
Growing Winter Savory in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
References
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Soil: sand or shallow rocky preferred; pH acid, neutral or alkaline; good drainage, occasionally dry, does not perform well in damp soil. Light: full sun (6+ hours), tolerates light shade, struggles in full shade; dry to medium moisture preferred. Size: 0.5-1.5ft height, 1-1.5ft width, needs 12in-3ft of space. Hardiness USDA zones 5a-10b. Propagation: seed or stem cutting, planted early spring, harvestable within 2 months of sowing. Growth: rapid growth rate, medium maintenance; lives for several years but best replaced every 2 years. Pruning: cut back at flower buds for fresh leaf growth, remove dead wood in early spring. Pests/diseases: no known diseases or insect pests; rarely troubled by deer. Harvest: in summer when in flower, used fresh or dried.
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Site: full sun, free-draining conditions, in ground or containers; open sunny spot, soil that never waterlogs; heavy soil needs a raised bed or container instead. Spacing: at least 20cm (8in) from neighbouring plants. Size: winter savory a shrubby plant up to 40cm (16in) tall (vs summer savory, bushy, about 30cm/1ft tall and wide). Harvest: winter savory harvestable for most or all of the year where growth persists, though winter growth slows considerably; strip leaves from stems, use fresh or dry by hanging in a warm, dark, well-ventilated place. Overwintering: hardy but semi-evergreen, sheds leaves in very cold weather, keeps them through winter in milder areas; for continuous winter harvest move potted plants to a bright, cool, frost-free spot (greenhouse or porch), or protect ground plants with well-ventilated cloches in high-rainfall regions. Pests/diseases: generally healthy and trouble free when grown in warm, sunny, well-drained conditions. Propagation: softwood cuttings from new growth in summer, or layer by pegging low stems into the soil in spring or autumn; cut back old shoots in early spring. Flavour: earthy, spicy, peppery (vs summer savory's milder, more delicate flavour).
2 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I sow winter savory in the UK?
In Southern England, from early March. In Scotland, wait until early March. Treat these as a guide rather than a fixed date — the governing rule is to sow only once frost risk has passed and temperatures are reliably warm enough.
When do I sow winter savory?
Sow early March to mid April.
Plan next season before the problems start
Most of the advice on this page comes down to timing and spacing — sowing at the right moment, rotating beds, and giving plants enough airflow. The UK Garden Planner lays your plot out month by month so those decisions are already made before the season starts.
Get the UK Garden Planner →Instant PDF download · Written for UK growing conditions
How this guide is put together
The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against RHS and Met Office guidance. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.
Last verified 2026-10-25
Plan Winter Savories by month
The months this guide gives for sowing or planting, each with the full list of jobs for that month in the UK:
More from the same group (herbs & aromatics):
Growing advice for your part of the UK
Timing and conditions change a lot inside one country. These guides cover frost dates and growing seasons region by region.
Where To Go From Here
Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.
Keep going
Plan the next step
Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.