Overall Plant
Common Name: creeping savory
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Lamiaceae
Native Range: Iran, Caucasus, Turkey
Zone: 6 to 9
Height: 0.25 to 0.75 feet
Spread: 1.50 to 2.00 feet
Bloom Time: July to October
Bloom Description: White
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Herb
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Fragrant
Tolerate: Deer, Drought, Dry Soil, Shallow-Rocky Soil
Culture
Best grown in evenly moist to dry, slightly alkaline, rocky to sandy, well-draining, lean soils in full sun. Intolerant of overly moist, waterlogged soils and shady conditions. Hardy in Zones 6-9.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Satureja spicigera, commonly called creeping savory, is a low-growing, herbaceous perennial sub-shrub native to open, rocky, wooded slopes in the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia, Armenia, and Iran. The upright, slender stems can reach 4-8" tall and emerge from a woody base of spreading branches reaching 2' wide. The small, lanceolate to linear leaves are spotted with glands filled with aromatic essential oils. Dense, spike-like, terminal inflorescence emerge in mid to late summer bearing small, white flowers.
Genus name comes from the Latin name for this herb which was well known to the ancients.
The specific epithet spicigera means "bearing spikes", in reference to the spike-like inflorescences borne at the terminal ends of the stems.
Problems
Overly wet or waterlogged soils will lead to root or crown rot. Deer tend to avoid this plant.
Uses
Edger, specimen, small groupings in rock gardens and herb gardens. The leaves are used as a fresh or dried culinary herb, imparting a peppery flavor to beans, stews, roasts, and salads.