BBC bosses blew nearly ?2million on pot plants, trees and fancy gardens at their offices over the past five years, The Sun can reveal.
The extravagance emerged as the broadcaster faces having to axe up to 500 jobs in a bid to slash costs by ?1.6billion by 2014.
Furious Tory MP Philip Davies said last night: "This just goes to prove that the BBC has got so much money it barely knows what to spend it on."
And an appalled production staffer added: "Things like plants are a frivolous waste of money when thousands of people are set to lose their jobs."
Growing pains ... axed host Toby Buckland
Documents detailing the potty spending were revealed after a Freedom of Information request.
A whopping ?1.5million was spent on plants, trees and grass at offices in London and Scotland between July 2006 and July 2010. The sum also includes cash spent on hard landscaping like pavement maintenance and snow clearance.
And a further ?455,993 was spent across the BBC's properties in the English regions, Wales and Northern Ireland on internal and external plants. But the BBC defended the outlay, saying it covered 450 properties.
Meanwhile, the corporation is facing accusations of wasting licence fee cash by abandoning the Gardeners' World "Greenacre" plot nurtured for two years in Birmingham.
The show will instead be filmed Monty Don's own private garden in Herefordshire.
The host, 55, is rejoining the BBC2 series from March, replacing axed Toby Buckland.
A spokesman for the BBC said: "There may be room in his garden for bits from Greenacre. We will try to recycle as much as possible."
Everyone out there still happy paying for the over indulgent wonkers?
The extravagance emerged as the broadcaster faces having to axe up to 500 jobs in a bid to slash costs by ?1.6billion by 2014.
Furious Tory MP Philip Davies said last night: "This just goes to prove that the BBC has got so much money it barely knows what to spend it on."
And an appalled production staffer added: "Things like plants are a frivolous waste of money when thousands of people are set to lose their jobs."
Growing pains ... axed host Toby Buckland
Documents detailing the potty spending were revealed after a Freedom of Information request.
A whopping ?1.5million was spent on plants, trees and grass at offices in London and Scotland between July 2006 and July 2010. The sum also includes cash spent on hard landscaping like pavement maintenance and snow clearance.
And a further ?455,993 was spent across the BBC's properties in the English regions, Wales and Northern Ireland on internal and external plants. But the BBC defended the outlay, saying it covered 450 properties.
Meanwhile, the corporation is facing accusations of wasting licence fee cash by abandoning the Gardeners' World "Greenacre" plot nurtured for two years in Birmingham.
The show will instead be filmed Monty Don's own private garden in Herefordshire.
The host, 55, is rejoining the BBC2 series from March, replacing axed Toby Buckland.
A spokesman for the BBC said: "There may be room in his garden for bits from Greenacre. We will try to recycle as much as possible."
Everyone out there still happy paying for the over indulgent wonkers?