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Summer savory
Habit (mature) · Karelj / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Limited coverage
Summer savory
Satureja hortensis
A fast, bushy annual culinary herb in the mint family (Lamiaceae), native from southeastern Europe to western Asia. NC State Extension describes an erect, multi-stemmed plant about 1.5 feet tall and 1-3 feet wide, with linear, gland-dotted, aromatic dark-green leaves and small lilac, pink, or white summer flowers. It grows rapidly — harvestable within a couple of months of sowing — and is prized for its mild, slightly peppery flavor. Grown as a warm-season annual, it wants full sun and sharp drainage and does poorly in damp soil or shade.
Review: Source-backed
Climate fit: moderate (63/100)
Edible
Container
Border
Light
Full sun
Water
Low water
Mature size
18" tall · 12" apart
Hardy in zones
2a-11b
brutally cold to nearly frost-free winters
Summer heat range
Warm-Extreme
warm to extreme summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.
Native in Illinois
No
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The plant is drought, dry-soil, and deer tolerant (NC State Extension) and wants good drainage; it does not tolerate damp soil or shade, so site it in a sunny, sharply drained spot and keep moisture low.
Climate notes
Cold hardiness
Now
Zone 6b
USDA
Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day
Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer
Well-suited
2050
Zone 7b
Plotwright
Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)
Well-suited
In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.
✓
Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.
Heat tolerance
Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…
Where this plant fits
Suitable across 45 ecoregions — 45 climate-resilient through 2070. Best matches first.
Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests
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Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests
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Arizona Mountains forests
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Atlantic coastal pine barrens
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Blue Mountains forests
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California coastal sage and chaparral
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Canadian Aspen forests and parklands
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Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests
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Central Tallgrass prairie
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Central-Southern Cascades Forests
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Sources & citations
Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.
Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Summer savory (Satureja hortensis). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/summer-savory
Sources for every fact
Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited — 18 source-backed.
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
University extension service
Backs 17 fields
Identity
Summary
Plant type
Light
Moisture
Hardiness
Heat zone
Size
Spacing
Habit
Design roles
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Wikimedia Commons
Photo · CC BY-SA 3.0
Backs 1 field
Image
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The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.
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