Summer savory: How to grow the herb monks were forbidden to plant in medieval times

The Romans used summer savory in love potions and it is a tough enough plant that it won’t mind hot, exposed conditions

Summer savory (Satureja hortensis). Picture: iStock

What started off as a sprinkling has become a hardened habit as I turn over more space each year to growing summer savory, Satureja hortensis. 

Apparently, the Romans thought it was so potent a herb that it was used in love potions; this reputation lingered into the medieval era, when monks were forbidden to grow it in the monasteries in case they fell under its spell.