Winter Savory is a perennial culinary herb, grown for the flavor it brings to the kitchen, ready to harvest about 100 days after planting. It's hardy across USDA zones 5 through 8, stands up to deer, handles dry spells once it's established, and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees, even though the harvest is the prize.
Winter Savory — the short answer
Winter Savory: grown in zones 5–8, full sun, pH 6–7.5, about 100 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- 5–8
- Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 5a–10b
- Soil pH
- 6–7.5
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Days to Maturity
- 100 days
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Frost-kill temp (growing season)
- 30.2°F
- FAO ECOCROP
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Winter Savory on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether winter savory actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score winter savory against your land's real conditions.
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What Winter Savory is
Winter Savory grows as a perennial and reaches around a foot at maturity. It blooms white in summer. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
Mature height, bloom period, flower colour and container suitability: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
How to grow Winter Savory
Winter Savory grows in USDA zones 5 through 8 and is ready to harvest about 100 days after planting. Winter Savory does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 6 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 900 growing degree days to mature, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
5-8
Not verified — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox lists zones 5a–10b
Soil pH
6 - 7.5
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Drainage
well (dry spells)
FAO ECOCROP
Frost Kill Temperature
30.2°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
FAO ECOCROP
Minimum Growing Temperature
42.8°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Days to Maturity
100 days
Winter savory; perennial; usually propagated by cutting.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
GDD Required
900+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Mature Height
1 ft
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Start the season right
Plant winter savory in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Winter Savory prefers pH 6 to 7.5 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water while it roots in
Water deeply while winter savory establishes, letting the soil dry between soakings; once its roots are in, it rides out dry spells on its own. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Harvest at maturity
Winter Savory is ready about 100 days after planting. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Snip sprigs as you need them — regular cutting keeps the foliage tender and slows it bolting to flower.
Where Winter Savory thrives
Winter Savory is hardy across USDA zones 5 through 8. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 5–8 spans average winter lows from -20°F to 20°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 19 outright and splits 31 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 5–8·Where Winter Savory growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Winter Savory stands, state by state
Winter Savory is rated for zones 5–8 — a cold floor USDA puts at -20 to -10°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 19 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 31 more, and 1 sits outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 5–8
19 states
3 of 19 shown
The line runs through
31 states
3 of 31 shown
Winter Savory’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 5–8
1 state
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Winter Savory
Growing guides for winter savory
Good to know
Winter Savory offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Before you harvest winter savory, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant winter savory for food. Our free screen reads 8 federal source types across roughly 950K indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Winter Savory's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Winter Savory will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether winter savory actually takes. We score it against the mapped and modelled conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Winter Savory
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Winter Savory in my zone?
Winter Savory grows in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 8. Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
How long does Winter Savory take to grow?
Winter Savory is ready to harvest about 100 days after planting. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Your local frost dates and soil temperature move that window earlier or later.
When should you plant Winter Savory?
Most growers plant winter savory after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Winter Savory need?
Winter Savory needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Winter Savory need?
Winter Savory prefers soil pH 6 to 7.5, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's mapped soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Winter Savory attract pollinators?
Yes — winter savory's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Keep exploring Winter Savory
Winter Savory state by state
Every state winter savory's zone reaches — 21 link straight to that state's winter savory growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.