Garden allotments (Kleingarten or Schrebergarten) are a way of life in Germany, and you’ll usually see them grouped beside train tracks, particularly in former no-man’s land areas, such as near Potsdamer Platz. Middle-aged Deutsche are wild about digging around in the dirt on weekends and trimming their flawless garden hedge to the required 110cm in height (as set in stone in the Bundeskleingartengesetz, or ‘Federal Small Garden Law’).

Berliners depended on their gardens for food during the second world war, and around half the population still grow their own veggies. However, these days plots are used more as a picnic spot for families, or as a place to relax. If you plan on renting one you’ll find all the tools, small wooden huts and plant supplies at megastores such as Toom Baumarkt Gartencenter and Hellweg.

City balconies are frequently decorated with potted geraniums or clamouring ivy, which is available from many florists but cheaper at discount centres such as Gartencenter Deutscher, Hornbach and Thomas Philipps. If your dream isn’t complete without mini-windmills and porcelain cupid-like sculptures, Gartentraueme Shop will fit the bill. Although most nurseries and gardening super-centres are located outside of the inner city ring, Garten-Markt-Mitte has a wide range of indoor and outdoor plants, pots and soil. If you’re not an experienced green-thumb, your local florist will generally offer useful advice if asked.