PARIS, May 24 (Reuters) - French government number two Alain Juppe joked on Thursday he could always apply his ecological views to his garden if he lost in June parliamentary polls and was forced to relinquish his new environment superministry.

Juppe said he accepted a ruling by the country's moderate conservative Prime Minister Francois Fillon that government members who failed to win their seat would have to step down.

"There is no debate about the fact that only the people can give you political legitimacy," said Juppe, named by rightist President Nicolas Sarkozy as minister in charge of the environment, transport and energy policy this month.

Asked what he would do if he failed to win election in his constituency in the southwestern city of Bordeaux, Juppe said: "(I will put) my environmental convictions into practice in the field of gardening, maybe."

"It's the men and women from Bordeaux who make the decision with their ballot," Juppe told a news conference.

Juppe faces a survival battle in the city of Bordeaux where he is mayor.

In the second round of France's presidential election on May 6, around 55 percent of voters supported Socialist Segolene Royal in Juppe's constituency.

Juppe held the constituency until 2004, when a court banned him from holding elected office for 10 years for his role in a party financing scandal. The ban was later reduced to one year, enabling the 61-year old to return to politics last year.

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