To quote Madalene Hill and Gwen Barclay in Southern Herb Growing, “The flavor of savory is a basic one for combining with other herbs, particularly for poultry, and it is indispensable for vegetable cookery, having a special affinity for beans of every sort.”

A little-known but required ingredient of dried herbs de Provence, savory is probably familiar to most of us by flavor, though we may not have tried growing it in our gardens.

Summer savory, which is an annual, also a culinary herb, takes second place to the perennial winter variety, at least in terms of reliability. Winter savory is easy to grow, evergreen, and available to the cook year round.

Because winter savory is easily pruned, a supply of new tender growth is easy to maintain. And this is an herb that is tough enough to withstand our variable winter temperatures and rainfall. Its dark green, shiny small leaves add a very nice touch as a border plant — a low and spreading habit, combined with slow growth, make it worth your while.