City apartment dwellers often have to make do without a garden. But Berliners are adept at transforming everything from balconies to sidewalks into urban oases. DW's Jennifer Collins was inspired.
Image: L. Purfürst
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When I was about eight or nine years old I had my own little flower patch in a friend's garden. My parent's house - a cut and paste semi-detached on a suburban Dublin housing estate - had a garden too, of course. But my friend's place was special.
Firstly, it was huge and magical, at least to my child's eye. And it was filled with geese, ducks, rabbits and a dog. I felt like an explorer searching the garden's many secret nooks and crannies, surrounded by my cohort of animals. Luckily, if the adventurer ever got thirsty or hungry, my friend's kind mother and an aunt, who lived with them, were always on hand with a supply of sweet treats and drinks.
As an adult, I've invariably lived in apartments in cities. Gardens - magical or otherwise - are a thing of the past. And I usually haven't really missed having one. That changed recently when I was sitting on my sad, empty balcony in Berlin's Neukölln district and looked out at the surrounding buildings. The neighboring balcony's were all overflowing with bright, colorful flowers.
A patch of soil on the sidewalk? Turn it into a garden! Image: DW/J. Collins
Berliners, it seems, are great at planting makeshift gardens - and not just on balconies. In summer, mini gardens with plants and decorated with everything from socks to children's toys spring up on city sidewalks and in former airports. They're usually accompanied by a sign asking passers-by not to toss their rubbish there (Berliners are great at littering, too).
Back in May, I passed by another sign in a green patch beside the city's Landwehr Canal. This one appealed to people to plant their old flower bulbs there for next spring. Waste not, want not.
A splash of color on my balcony. The seedlings are meadow flowers and supposed to attract pollinators such as bees Image: DW/J. Collins
Allotments on trend
Others - not content with a balcony or small patch on the sidewalk - are lucky enough to have an allotment in a "garden colony." Garden colonies - usually located beside train tracks - are a Germany-wide phenomenon. Available to rent for a modest price, each patch usually comes with a small hut that you're not supposed to live in, although, some garden owners ignore that particular rule.
The idea for allotments took root in the 19th century so working-class people could have access to nature during Germany's rapid industrialization. Once thought to be bourgeois and square, they've become so popular among young and hip Berliners, there are now waiting lists to get one. So, some of us will have to be happy with just a balcony for now.
My own balcony is looking a bit brighter these days. A few weeks ago, I planted herbs and some flowers, intended to help out pollinators. The little guys are having a hard time finding food in the city as meadows and green spaces disappear. And as I watered my plants the other day, I remembered the little flower patch of my childhood in my friend's garden. Today I might not have the company of ducks, but bumble bees and butterflies are fine too.
Germans and their beloved gardens
There's a lot more to a German garden than just plants. And beware - this is no laughing matter. Our gallery explains everything that matters, from quiet time to the importance of choosing the perfect garden gnome.
Image: picture alliance / Rzepka
Small plots
It doesn't always have to be a "Schrebergarten," an allotment garden. Many families without access to a balcony or terrace choose to rent a modest plot of land from a farmer - a cherished spot, even if it's just a few square meters. The purpose of the plot is to teach kids about nature. And planting vegetables and flowers can be fun, too.
Image: picture-alliance/ZB/P. Pleul
Flower paradise
Richly decorated and flourishing balconies receive the same loving care as gardens - from the first rays of sun in the spring until the last few days of Indian summer. As the sunny time of year tends to be rather short in Germany, people make sure to spend as much time as possible outdoors.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
'Is this a slum?'
Allotment gardens are typical of Germany. City dwellers without their own outdoor space are fond of these plots, where they plant their own organic veggies or just enjoy the nice weather. Looking at the wooden huts in these gardens, some foreigners wonder whether they've ended up in a slum. According to law, people are not allowed to actually live in these huts - but that doesn't stop some people.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H. Schmidt
Lawn mowing rules
The roar of the lawnmower tends to get on peoples' nerves, with some more sensitive about it than others. To avoid unnecessary quarrels while gardening in Germany, stick to the rules that spell out when it's OK to do noisy yard work: from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and again from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. No noise on Sundays and public holidays! Your best bet would be to buy a robot to do the mowing - silently.
Image: picture alliance/NurPhoto/J. Arriens
BBQ challenges
If you're planning to have a barbecue party in your garden, be sure to invite the neighbors. That's the only way to prevent them from complaining about the smoke, or even calling the police because of the noise. To be firmly on the safe side, it's best to study your rental contract, which may spell out that partying is not allowed after 10 p.m.
Image: Elke Dubois/TZS
Keep a safe distance!
Before planting a tree, check to see how much distance must be kept between the plant and the neighbor's property. Such laws are meant to prevent future arguments, as any eventual branches could cast a permanent shadow over your neighbor's terrace or lawn. Angry neighbors already dealing with your rogue trees, however, may not cut any offending branches without express permission.
Image: Mehdi Haeri
Gardeners' paradise
Nearly everything that a German gardener could ever want can be found in special garden stores: domestic and exotic plants, the proper soils, fertilizers and manure, climbing aids for roses, garden tools for all purposes, a large selection of garden furniture - and, despite protests from environmentalists, insecticides of all kinds.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/BUGA 2015/T. Uhlemann
Green gardening
The goal of many German gardeners is to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Many collect rainwater in barrels to water their plants, and sort their organic trash into compost piles. Green waste - grass clippings, leaves, branches and weeds - can also be separated into dedicated trash bins, to be composted by the city.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K.D Gabbert
Flourishing inspiration
Gardening magazines and stores hand out plenty of useful advice to the proud owners of gardens and balconies. But there are also numerous garden shows and contests at the regional or even national level. Those still thirsting for green inspiration can travel to the neighboring Netherlands, where flower production - especially tulips - abounds.
Image: DW
Home for a gnome
Some find them cute, while others just think they're cheesy suburban kitsch. But the German garden gnome has long since offered something to please everyone. Next to the classic gnome pushing a wheelbarrow, today there's also the football fan, the exhibitionist or, as seen here, the gnome with a taste for heavy metal.
