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Gordon the Garden Gnome is a British animated children's television series aimed at getting children interested in gardening. The series premiered on CBeebies in 2005. Gordon is a cartoon garden gnome, whose voice is provided by Alan Titchmarsh. The series also aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's Tickle-U television programming block.
With a little help from his friends, Gordon prepares his garden for the Annual Garden Competition. Unfortunately the Slugs start a rumour that Gordon has instructed everyone to “Taste test” the produce and Gordon’s helpers start helping themselves to everything. When the Chief Gnome arrives to judge the garden there are hardly any tomatoes left, the grass is covered in nut shells and the vegetable patch is a mess. But all is not lost. While Gordon fails to win the Best Garden prize, he is awarded a special prize for having the ‘Tastiest Garden’ in the world.
Slug Path protestors prevent Gordon from building a new stone path across his border because it traverses one of their ancient pathways. They have a map to prove it, and it seems that wherever Gordon proposes building his path, it’s in someone’s way! So, Percy lends Gordon his patented ‘Dangle-a-Gnome’ device to help him reach his plants. When this catapults him into his tree, he discovers that everyone’s been reading the Slugs’ map the wrong way up. All the bug pathways are on the other side of his garden and it’s ok for Gordon to build his new path exactly where he wanted it!
Percy wins a competition and heads off for a day out at Gadget Heaven Theme Park - but not before he's instructed Gordon in the finer point of his garden maintenance schedule. Unfortunately, the Chief Gnome has other plans for Percy's garden and insists that Gordon supervise the trainee Ian Gnome in looking after the garden to further his education. Predictably, Ian's talent doesn't live up to Percy's rigorous standards and Gordon has to solve numerous gardening disasters. Can Gordon get the garden back into perfect condition before Percy returns that evening?
Gordon is busy clearing up the leaves in his garden, but never seems to be able to complete the job. As fast as he catches them, or rakes them up, two tiny hedgehogs keep messing up his nice neat piles of leaves. Eager to learn how Percy keeps his garden so tidy, Gordon has a demonstration of Percy’s ‘Floaty Leaf Spray’ and motorised ‘Leaf Vacuum’. Both end up making a bigger leaf-mess in Gordon’s garden. But Gordon’s solution was in his garden all the time – leaves stick to hedgehogs, and it’s great fun for the hedgehog kids to roll around collecting them!
Gordon loses his magic hat! A gnome’s hat is as precious as a fairy’s wand, and without it, strange things start to happen to remind Gordon to keep looking for it. After one day his nose turns into a pinecone. Then his hair grows long and green. Then his boots grow three times larger!! Everyone, except Gordon, finds this very funny! Can Gordon find his hat before things get really out of hand?
Gordon, Percy, Jerome and Rosie all make wacky scarecrows to frighten the crows that have been eating all their crops. But nothing seems to scare these birds. It's only when Gordon takes a fresh look at the problem that the best solution is found. He creates a fantastic bird-table and supplies the crows with an alternative diet of tasty nuts and seeds from his stores. In return, the crows agree to stay away from the vegetables.
The Chief Gnome wants Jerome to tidy his garden, but can't find him to tell him! Gordon is sent off to locate Jerome and deliver the Chief's instruction - to tidy his garden or it will be mowed down! Gordon and Andrew the worm embark upon a jungle expedition into the wilderness that is Jerome’s garden. They eventually find Jerome, plus many of the things Jerome has previously borrowed from Gordon! They also find a very rare and exotic orchid. This wonderful little flower is the solution to saving Jerome's garden from destruction! Jerome’s garden is designated a "Nature Reserve"!
Gordon gets permission from the Chief Gnome to build a Bee Hive in his garden, so that he can collect some fresh honey for his breakfast. He plants lavender to attract the bees and conducts interviews with Queen Bees to live in the hive. But the Queen and Drone he selects are a little fussier about their living quarters once they know the hive is theirs. Poor Gordon is given the run-around, rearranging his garden and building additional accommodation. When Gordon discovers that his bees are not even Honeybees, they are Bumblebees and will never produce enough honey to share with him, they have to go!
When an unusual plant arrives unexpectedly in Gordon’s garden, Gordon assumes there’s been a mix-up in the Gnome Post. But Percy, Rosie and Jerome aren’t expecting a delivery either, so Gordon sets off with Andrew around the world, to return the plant to its proper home. In each location Gordon discovers clues as to the plant’s natural habitat - whether it likes hot or cold, dry or wet climates – and they soon find the owner. But the Chief Gnome is hot on Gordon’s heels looking for the plant too - it’s a surprise present for his wife Gladioli’s birthday.
Lez and Dez, the Slugs, want to get their own back on Gordon for never letting them eat the gardens’ plants. When Gordon’s not looking they sneak under his hat and repeat a magic growth spell they have just overheard Gordon use. Lez and Dez are soon ordering Gordon to give them food and because they are bigger than him, he can’t refuse. But when Gordon finds out how the Slugs became large he tricks them into believing that they have eaten all the food in the world. Then he puts them on a strict diet and exercise regime to get them back to their normal ‘small’ selves again.
Gordon retrieves his watering can from Jerome and discovers an egg inside it. Chirpy, the baby bird is born and mistakes Gordon for his Mummy, unaware that his real mother is busy looking for him. Chirpy follows Gordon everywhere tries his best to help Gordon with his garden tasks. Unfortunately he usually messes things up! Yet Gordon can’t be angry with Chirpy for long and is delighted when Chirpy learns to fly for the first time – especially as this leads to him being reunited with his real Mother.
It's the anniversary of the Chief Gnome becoming 'Chief', and as usual he expects to receive a very BIG gift from each of his fellow Gnomes. Sadly, Jerome Gnome has forgotten to grow anything this year and is in a terrible panic. Gordon generously donates his gift of a very large marrow, to Jerome confident that he can easily find and alternative gift in his greenhouse. Unfortunately for Gordon, Lez and Dez, the Slugs, have had a feeding frenzy in his greenhouse and there’s only one very small tomato left. Surprisingly it proves to be the Chief Gnome's best present.
A fun day at the ‘Play Tree’ in Rosie’s wood is spoilt by news that a storm is on the way and the Gnomes have to return home to protect their gardens. Percy ties umbrellas to his trees, Jerome fixes his lose plank and Gordon, helped by Rosie, ties tall plants to sticks to stop them snapping in the wind. When the storm has passed, Gordon emerges to inspect the damage. Not so bad in his garden, but in Rosie’s wood the Play Tree has been blown down. The Gnomes are upset at the loss of their treasured tree, until Gordon has the idea to make it live on in other ways. They’ll use the wood to repair the storm damage and create a new adventure playground.
It’s Turnip Tuesday and everyone is sending greeting cards and turnip-related parcels to their loved ones. But there seem to be a few hiccups with the post and Gordon receives a singing turnip telegram intended for someone else, followed by a volley of turnip missiles. To top it all, the Chief Gnome gets lost in the post and doesn’t show up to Gordon’s Turnip Tuesday Party. So, Gordon flies off on his magic hat to the Gnome Post Sorting Office to get the Chief Gnome back. Only then can the party begin.
The Gnomes are busy repairing, oiling and polishing their lawn mowers ready for Meadow Mow Day. For tomorrow is the first day of spring and as usual they will celebrate it with the first cut of the meadow grasses and a performance of the Chief Gnome’s ‘Trumpet Hat Solo’. But when the big day arrives, the Gnomes they awake to discover a blanket of snow on the ground. Instead of cancelling the festivities, Gordon suggests they use the mowers as snow ploughs to clear the ground and make snow-Gnomes.
After a hard day’s work, Gordon’s bright red ‘puddle buster’ boots are very smelly, so he leaves them outside overnight. To his surprise, in the morning his boots are gone! Gordon spends the day questioning his friends: have they seen his puddle-busters? Investigations lead to Jerome’s garden, which is emanating a peculiar smell – but it turns out to be the world’s smelliest plant! When Gordon eventually finds his boots, he discovers a family of mice are hibernating in them. Apparently they smell just like their favourite cheese!
A strange circle appears on Percy's perfectly manicured lawn. He urgently calls on Gordon for advice – "just mushrooms growing from an old tree stump," says Gordon. But Rosie Gnome knows better: Percy has been greatly honoured…it’s a fairy ring and there will be a big dance tonight! But then the fairies start arriving, and they aren't quite the delicate, feminine creatures everyone has expected. These are cool fairies, with rock guitars and heavy sound equipment. Overwhelmed by the destruction the party will cause, Gordon negotiates with the Fairy Queen to limit the damage to Percy’s lawn. The Chief Gnome attends as guest of honour and even Percy discovers it’s possible to have a great time.
Strange holes start appearing in Gordon’s garden. It seems that anything made of wood is prone to the attack. First it’s the rungs on Gordon’s ladder, then the coupling on his trike and trailer and even his front door! “Are you or have you ever been a woodworm?" is the question everyone wants to know of Andrew. "No" is the answer, but Andrew knows someone who is – his cousin Mervyn. Andrew has to tell Gordon what’s really going on.
Gordon is instructing Ian Gnome on the finer points of companion planting, when a bat with a terrible cold arrives in the garden. His name’s Vincent and he’s lost his way because his sonar’s not working. Gordon asks Vincent to stay with him until he’s better and prepares him some special cold remedies. But Ian is scared of Vincent and refuses to help out...that is until he discovers Vincent’s pretty cool at flying and can hang upside down!
The Chief Gnome shows Gordon his ‘rabbit in the hat trick’ that he is preparing for a magic show for the ‘gnomelets’ at the Gnome Academy. Gordon’s very impressed. He decides to give it a go himself, but can’t seem to get it to work. However, that night, while Gordon is sleeping, lots of baby rabbits emerge from under his hat and run off into the garden. Lez and Dez, report sightings of fluffy white ghosts in the vegetable patch and are terrified when Gordon’s carrots start to go missing before their very eyes! Gordon goes underground with Morris to find out what’s going on.
