Saturjea hortensis.
An annual species, from the south of Europe. Stem twelve or fifteen inches high, erect, rather slender, and producing its branches in pairs; the leaves are opposite, narrow, rigid, with a pleasant odor, and warm, aromatic taste; the flowers are pale-pink, or flesh-colored, and are produced at the base of the leaves, towards the upper part of the plant, each stem supporting two flowers; the seeds are quite small, deep-brown, and retain their vitality two or three years.
Propagation and Cultivation.—Summer Savory is always raised from seeds, sown annually in April or May. It thrives best in light, mellow soil; and the seed should be sown in shallow drills fourteen or fifteen inches apart. When the plants are two or three inches high, thin them to five or six inches apart in the rows, and cultivate in the usual manner during the summer.
When the plants have commenced flowering, they should be cut to the ground, tied in small bunches, and dried in an airy, shady situation.
For early use, the seeds are sometimes sown in a hot-bed on a gentle heat, and the seedlings afterwards transplanted to the open ground in rows, as directed for sowing.
Use.—The aromatic tops of the plant are used, green or dried, in stuffing meats and fowl. They are also mixed in salads, and sometimes boiled with pease and beans. It is sold in considerable quantities at all seasons of the year, in a dried and pulverized state, packed in hermetically-sealed bottles or boxes.
Winter Savory. Thomp.
Saturjea montana.
A hardy, evergreen shrub, with a low, branching stem about a foot in height. The leaves are opposite, narrow, and rigid, like those of the preceding species; the flowers resemble those of the Summer Savory, but are larger and of a paler color; the seeds, which ripen in autumn, are small, dark-brown, and retain their vitality three years.
Propagation and Culture.—"It may be raised from seed sown in April or May; but is generally propagated by dividing the plants in April, or by cuttings of the young shoots taken off in April or May. The cuttings should be planted two-thirds of their length deep, on a shady border, and, if necessary, watered until they take root. When well established, they may be planted out a foot apart, in rows fifteen inches asunder. Some may also be planted as an edging.