Spring is in full swing and Berlin is suddenly green again. Trees and plants of all shapes and sizes have bloomed, beautifying the city with their different shades and flowers.

Perhaps that is why it took everyone so long to notice a somewhat unusual plant sprouting in the grass next to Kreuzberg's main train station.

Or perhaps people just assumed the plant was indeed indigenous to Germany's edgiest neighbourhood.

Either way, it was only on Monday, when some of the plants had grown as high as 40cm, that a city official finally clocked the distinctive shrubs.

When the police turned up they confirmed that the plants were in fact cannabis – all 700 of them. They were then faced with the arduous job of digging up the plants and “making them secure.”

How the plants got there is unclear.

Local politicians in Kreuzberg have been debating for some time whether to legalise marijuana sales under tight government controls to alleviate chronic problems with illegal drug dealing in a nearby park.

There is, however, no evidence to suggest that this was part of a local pilot scheme.