Chris Madden Cartoons

A searchable archive for licensing

Garden flowers joke – a flowerbed shaped like a map of the world

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cartoon - flowerbed shaped like map of the world

Gardening cartoon. A flowerbed shaped like a map of the world

A comic illustration showing a gardener laying out a flower bed in the shape of a map of the world.

In the cartoon the flowers in each country are plants what are native to that country (so China is planted with flowers that originated in China, and so on)
The joke is partly that the gardener hasn’t been able to source any plants from Antarctica.
This is because the Antarctic is the only landmass on earth with no vegetation to speak of, apart from a few species that hang on in the margins. There are only two species of flowering plants in Antarctica, the Antarctic hair grass (Deschampsia antarctica) and the Antarctic pearlwort (Colobanthus quitensis), which grow on the South Orkney Islands, the South Shetland Islands and along the western Antarctic Peninsula (The source of this information is the British Antarctic Survey).
Cartoon reference number: a212

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Using a magnifying glass in the garden to look at a small flower

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magnifying glass to look at small flower cartoon

Gardening humour. Using a magnifying glass to look at small flowers

A cartoon showing a gardener looking at a very small flower through a magnifying lens.

The magnifying glass is mounted on a stake in a plant pot, and the flower is in a plant pot
A joke about appreciating flowers, studying blossoms, size isn’t everything, small but perfectly formed.
Cartoon reference number: a211

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Gardening humour. Using a leaf blower to blow leaves into neighbour’s garden

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leaf blower neighbour cartoon

Autumn gardening cartoon. Using a leaf blower to blow leaves into neighbour’s garden

A comic illustration showing a gardener using a power leave blower to blow the autumn leaves off a tree – making them land in the next door neighbor’s garden.

A cartoon about autumn gardens, fall gardening, nasty neighbors, antisocial neighbours, tidy gardens.

Drawn: Nov 2010

Cartoon reference number: a210

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Lawn mower cartoon – a motor mower with gps (sat nav)

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lawn mower with sat-nav joke

Gardening humour – a motor mower fitted with sat nav

A joke showing a gardener buying a new lawn mower in a garden centre.
The salesman is saying to the prospective customer “This lawn mower’s for the man with a very large lawn – it’s fitted with sat-nav”.

The implication is that the mower is for a lawn that’s so big that you need gps to navigate your way round it without getting lost.
A cartoon about satellite navigation systems, large gardens, lawns, garden centres, unnecessary accessories, gimmicks, status indicators.
Cartoon reference number: a209

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Summer in the garden – cartoon

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summer gardening cartoon

Cartoon about summer gardening

Showing a gardener relaxing in a garden on a summer’s day.

The gardener is sunbathing on a garden lounger and is thinking “There’s an old saying – if it’s hot enough for shorts it’s too hot for gardening”.
A joke about outdoor activities, garden furniture, summer, sunshine.
Cartoon reference number: a208

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Joke about the arrival of summer – the first swallow and first hay fever sneeze

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first swallow and first hay fever sneeze joke

Cartoon about the arrival of summer – the first swallow arriving at the same time as the first hay fever sneeze

Showing gardeners in a garden seeing the first swallow of summer and hearing the first hay fever sneeze at the same time.

Traditionally it’s the sound of the first cuckoo that heralds the summer, however cuckoos are now becoming rarer. Meanwhile, hay fever is becoming more common, so the sound of a hay fever sneeze is replacing the call of the cuckoo as the harbinger of summer.
A cartoon about allergies, seasons.
Cartoon reference number: a207

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Christmas gardening joke – a Christmas present for a gardener

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gardening christmas present joke

Christmas gardening cartoon.

A cartoon showing a keen gardener receiving a Christmas present – a “grow-your-own” oak tree. In other words, an acorn.

A joke about men’s hobbies and pass-times, planting trees, re-establishing woodland, conservation, green Christmas presents.
Cartoon reference number: a206

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Golf cartoon and garden cartoon. Using a golf bag to carry gardening tools

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golf bag full of garden tools - joke

A joke about gardening and golf. Using a golf bag to carry gardening tools.

Showing a man using a golf bag to carry his garden tools rather than to carry his golf clubs.

A cartoon about men’s hobbies and pass-times, golfing, golf caddies, golf carts, combining hobbies
Cartoon reference number: a205

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Garden cartoons – cats watching frogs spawning in a garden pond

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cats watching frogs spawning - joke

Garden pond cartoon. Cats watching frogs spawning in a garden pond

A cartoon showing cats staring into a garden pond in which frogs are spawning

A cartoon about wildlife in the garden, encouraging wildlife, cats catching birds and animals in the garden, deterring cats, frogs’ breeding season, spring in the garden.
Cartoon reference number: a204

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Using power tools in the garden – you may need ear protectors

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ear protectors in the garden - joke

Gardening and gardens cartoon. Using power tools in the garden – use ear protectors

Showing a gardener about to use some power tools in his garden.
He’s asking his partner (who’s relaxing on the lawn) is she’s seen his ear protectors.

The joke is that gardening is meant to be a relaxing hobby or pass-time, but the man is going to make a lot of noise, thus ruining the tranquility for others

A cartoon about insensitivity, lack of consideration for others, noise levels, noisy neighbours, noise abatement society, intrusive noise.
The joke is also about male status and prestige (the need to be seen using powerful tools rather than lower status implements such as sweeping brushes and brooms).

Cartoon reference number: a203

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Vegetable gardening joke – weeds in the vegetable patch

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dandelion display in vegetable patch - joke

Gardening and gardens cartoon. Dandelions growing in the vegetable patch

A joke showing a vegetable garden or allotment full of weeds.

Rather than eradicating the weeds they are being appreciated (perhaps sarcastically)

A cartoon about weed control, invasive species, organic gardening, pests.

Cartoon reference number: a202

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Gardening and gardens cartoon. Using a concrete mixer as a garden plant holder

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gardening joke - concrete mixer as garden planter

Gardening and gardens cartoon. Using a concrete mixer as a garden plant holder

A joke about a gardener using a concrete mixer as a garden planter or plant pot.

The joke in the cartoon is that the concrete mixer has just been used in order to concrete over the garden, leaving nowhere to plant flowers.

A cartoon about gardening, garden design, patios, patio gardening, paving over the garden.

Cartoon reference number: a201

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Using Christmas decorations as bird scarers

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using christmas decorations as bird scarers joke

Christmas cartoon. Using Christmas decorations as bird scarers

A joke showing a gardener hanging up spare Christmas decorations to scare birds away from the seedlings in his garden

A cartoon about bird deterrents, protecting seedlings, birds as garden pests.

Drawn: Dec 2010

Cartoon reference number: a199

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Cat toilet cartoon

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cat joke - looking at seed bed

Cat cartoon. A cat looking at a freshly raked seed bed in a garden and thinking of using it as a toilet

One of the problems of cats in gardens is that they often use parts of the garden as a toilet

A cartoon about cats, litter trays, gardening, toilets, seed beds, deterring cats.
Cartoon reference number: a198

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Garden pests cartoon

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a bugs guide to garden pests cartoon

Gardening cartoon. A bug’s guide to garden pests

A comic illustration showing a caterpillar or grub (a garden pest) looking at a gardening book or manual about garden pests. The pest shown in the book is a gardener with a canister of pesticide.
The cartoon is in the anthropomorphic tradition common in cartoons.

Cartoon reference number: a196

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Garden birds cartoon

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bird box cartoon

Cartoon featuring a bird box with a bird feeding station attached

A humorous illustration about how to encourage birds into the garden by providing nesting boxes and feeding areas such as bird tables.

A joke about encouraging wildlife into the garden.
Cartoon reference number: a195

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Is this one of the first cartoons about 3D printing?

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3d printing cartoon

A cartoon about 3D printing (additive manufacturing).

A cartoon showing a computer-generated 3D statue of a man generated from digital scans of the man. The cartoon was drawn before the concept of 3D printing entered mainstream public awareness, and definitely before the cartoonist (me) had heard of the existence of 3D printing technology, so it’s an early reference to 3D modelling in cartoons, if not one of the first.

I’m sure that 3D technology must have existed for a few years before I drew this cartoon, but possibly mainy in research labs and places that were experimenting with early prototypes of 3D printers. 3D printing definitely wasn’t in the zeitgeist.

The humour in the cartoon lies in the fact that highly advanced, even futuristic, computer technology is being used to produce a representation of a stereotypically simple and technologically conservative old gardener.
The cartoon is partly a comment on the fact that advanced technology inevitably often ends up being used for mundane purposes (just look at television and mobile phones, where ludicrously trivial content abounds). This is not a criticism of this phenomenon, just a humorous observation.
A cartoon about hi-tech manufacturing, garden furniture, garden statues, statuary, sculpture, self portraits, gardening.

Drawn: June 2011

Cartoon reference number: a194

See my book of gardening cartoons here.
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cartoon copyright matters

Winter is the dormant season for plants – and people

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gardening cartoon - winter is dormant period

A cartoon about gardening and male behaviour.
Winter is the dormant period for plants – and for people

This could also be a joke about a stereotypical lazy man

A cartoon about laziness, seasonal activity, the seasons in the garden, the rhythms of nature, lethargy, stereotypical gender roles, cliches of masculine behaviour, seasonal behaviour.
Cartoon reference number: a193

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Relaxing in the garden cartoon – using a wheelbarrow as a chair

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garden wheelbarrow cartoon

Gardening cartoon. Relaxing in the garden – using a wheelbarrow as a chair

A cartoon showing a man relaxing in his garden by sitting in a wheelbarrow

The man is reading a garden furniture catalogue – because he needs to buy a proper garden chair
A cartoon about outdoor furniture, outdoor living, garden design.
Cartoon reference number: a191

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Novice gardener asking “What’s this flower?”

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what's this flower cartoon (daffodil)

Novice gardener cartoon. What’s this flower?
It’s a daffodil

A cartoon showing a man who is new to gardening looking at a flower and asking what species it is

The joke is that the flower is a daffodil – a type of garden plant that is so common and popular that almost everyone knows by name.

Drawn: Apr 2003

Cartoon reference number: a190

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Water play isn’t only for children – cartoon

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Water play cartoon

Water play joke

A man in his garden watering plants with a hose pipe (or with a watering can).

His wife is commenting to a friend that it’s important for him to have at least 20 minutes of water play per day. The joke in the cartoon is that water play is normally associated with children and child development, and not with adults, although adults benefit from such activity too.
A cartoon about play, child development, leisure activities, watering gardens, irrigation, hobbies, male shed culture.

Drawn: July 2003

Cartoon reference number: a189

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Chess cartoon. Topiary chess pieces in a garden

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topiary chess cartoon

Chess cartoon and gardening humour.

Topiary bushes in plant pots in a garden, shaped like chess pieces. The plant pots are on a checkered patio that looks like a chess board.

A person is clipping one of the bushes into the shape of a bishop.
A humorous illustration about board games, outdoor games, novelty chess pieces, unusual garden design.

Drawn: Dec 2011

Cartoon reference number: a188

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Sundial cartoon

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cartoon - sundial with children too young to tell the time

A sundial with young children who are too young to tell the time

The reason why the children can’t tell the time is because they are too short to see the top of the sundial

A sundial in a garden as a decorative feature.
A cartoon about child development, learning to tell the time, clocks.

Drawn: Aug 2009

Cartoon reference number: a187

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Garden flowers for sale – with pretty labels showing the plants at their best

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pretty plant label cartoon

Gardening humour. Plants for sale in garden centres have images on their labels that show the plants at their best

Sometimes the plant labels show the plant as more beautiful than the plant will ever be (at least in most gardens).

A cartoon about selling flowering plants, blossoms and blooms by showing the flowers on the plant name labels.
Sometimes the flowers or plants on the labels look so much better than the actual specimen that they are almost against the trades description act.

Drawn: Nov 2011

Cartoon reference number: a186

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Signs of spring in the garden cartoon – the first slug of spring

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the first slug of spring -cartoon

Garden cartoon. Signs of spring in the garden – the first slug of spring

Humorous illustration showing the first butterflies of spring and the first slugs of spring.

In the early months of the year gardeners are eagerly on the lookout for the first signs of spring.
They are pleased to see the first green shoots of spring, the first butterflies and the first swallows of summer. However the changing seasons also bring less welcome visitors such as, as shown in this cartoon, slugs and snails.

Draw: March 2009

Cartoon reference number: a185

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Solar power cartoon – solar panels on an artificial sunflower

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solar panels cartoon

Solar energy cartoon -solar panels on an artificial sunflower

Showing a plant harnessing energy from the sun. The plant in the cartoon is artificial (a sunflower) and the energy it is obtaining is being used to drive a speaker which is producing the sound of birdsong.

A humorous illustration about alternative energy, sustainable energy, renewable energy sources, electricity generation.

Drawn: Aug 2011

Cartoon reference number: a184

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

A joke about slugs

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Slug bones cartoon

A cartoon about slugs

A humorous illustration about how children learn about the world around them

Children in a garden discovering that slugs don’t have bones.
This is a slightly macabre and unsettling cartoon illustrating the way that kids come across information and facts about the world through play, outdoor activities and general curiosity. Some of these activities are in decline now due to the amount of time children spend in front of their computers.

Drawn: May 2004

Cartoon reference number: a183

See my book of gardening cartoons here.

Gardening power tools joke

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Retractable cable on gardening equipment - cartoon

Gardening power tools cartoon

A man looking at a garden fork and wondering where the electric cable is.

This is a cartoon illustrating the tendency towards the use of power tools when unpowered tools are perfectly adequate. This tendency is exemplified in the use of power blowers rather than plain brushes or brooms to move dead leaves etc around the garden.
Cartoon reference number: a182

See my book of gardening cartoons here.