Prefers an open position in a well-drained soil. Succeeds in poor soils. Requires a sunny position.

Leaves are used as a food flavoring, a substitute for savory (Satureia spp.).

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, July/August in a frame.

Rocky places and other dry open habitats.