Cimbru

Satureja hortensis (sah-tur-AY-jah hor-TEN-sis)

Family: Lamiaceae Non-native Herbaceous (1-3 ft)

Summer Savory is an edible, annual flowering herb, and with a culinary, medicinal, aromatic and decorative value. It has a mild peppery taste and is often used to flavor soup, tea, vinegar, meat, cabbage, and butter. It is also used in potpourris. Savory is most often used as a culinary herb, but it also has marked medicinal benefits, especially upon the whole digestive system. The plant is grown from seed in early spring and harvested in the summer when in flower and can be used fresh or dried. Summer Savory is grown as an annual, unlike its cousin, Winter Savory, which is grown as a perennial and tends to have a more bitter flavor. The genus name comes from the Latin for Savory. Summer Savory is easy to grow in rich light soil with plenty of moisture, full sun and alkaline soil, although it is not fussy. However, it does not do well in damp soil or shade. Savory is a good companion plant in the garden to repel insect pests with onions and beans. It is a fast-growing plant, can be harvested within 2 months of sowing, and can be cut back as the flower buds appear to produce a fresh flush of leaves. The flowers are very attractive to bees, but the plant is rarely troubled by deer. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 55 attributes.