Buckingham Palace looking for a royal 'eco-gardener'

London, Feb 7 (ANI): The Royal household is in the need of a gardener and has advertised for an eco-gardener responsible for keeping the grounds of Buckingham Palace tidy and environmentally friendly.

The 15,000 pounds-a-year post includes maintaining the 42-acre garden "to the highest standards" and recycling 99 per cent of the waste - even from the Royal Mews stables.

The gardener must be able to maintain shrub, herbaceous and rose borders in line with "good organic horticultural practices" and "to assist in the development of the wildlife in the gardens".

The green waste recycling duties will include managing the Royal '"arisings" - straw and manure from the stables - and transporting them to allotment sites around the grounds and to other Royal households around London.

"At Buckingham Palace, 99 per cent of green waste is recycled on site. Green waste includes grass cuttings, twigs, branches and 'arisings' (soiled straw from the stables in the Royal Mews)," the Telegraph quoted Mark Lane, Gardens Manager at Buckingham Palace, as saying.

"Waste is also brought in from Kensington Palace, Marlborough House and St James's Palace grounds. This is put through a shredder so that bacteria can operate more quickly on smaller pieces of material.

"The waste is regularly turned until it has rotted sufficiently to be used as mulch.

"We then use this when preparing new flower beds. The mulch protects plants from heat and cold, retains water, suppresses weed germination and prevents soil from being washed away in the rain."

The new gardener will also be asked to encourage wildlife in the grounds. The use of pesticides is kept to a minimum and should eventually be completely phased out, he pointed out.

Lame added, "We also ensure that the machinery which is used for the upkeep of the gardens is environmentally sound. The weed burning machine runs off the same liquid petroleum gas supply which is used for The Duke of Edinburgh's taxi. Biodegradable diesel, lubricants and oils are used in lawn mowers and other pieces of machinery."

Closing date for applications is February 13. (ANI)