Netflix released This Is a Gardening Show on April 22, 2026, which was Earth Day. Since then, it has been quietly winning over audiences. The show is hosted by Zach Galifianakis, known for The Hangover and Between Two Ferns. In this six-episode reality documentary, the comedian visits some of the most beautiful green spots in British Columbia to learn about gardening from experts, farmers, children, and anyone else willing to explain what a tomato actually is to a grown adult.
The landscapes in the show are so calm and beautiful that viewers have been just as curious about the filming spots as about the gardening tips. Where were those misty forest gardens filmed? What is that mountain lodge in the background? Is that really a classroom full of children teaching Zach Galifianakis how to plant a seed?
The answer to all of those questions is yes. Here is a complete breakdown of every confirmed filming location in This Is a Gardening Show.
About This is A Gardening Show
This Is a Gardening Show is a six-part Netflix reality documentary directed by Brook Linder and produced by Chris Kim. Each episode runs about 15 to 20 minutes, so you can watch the whole series in one sitting. Despite being an expert, Galifianakis plays the role of a curious and often confused student. He chats with local farmers, experienced horticulturalists, foragers, and schoolchildren who, more often than not, know a lot more about plants than he does.
Netflix describes the show as a fun and refreshing take on gardening that mixes lighthearted comedy with a real love of people and nature. As Galifianakis puts it early in the series:
“For human beings and the world itself, the only future is agrarian. We should all garden. It’s a better hobby than jet skiing.”
This is A Gardening Show Filming Locations
Vancouver Island, British Columbia: The Heart of the Show
Most of This Is a Gardening Show was filmed on Vancouver Island. It is a large, forested island roughly the size of the Netherlands, sitting off the southwestern coast of mainland British Columbia. The island is known for its mild weather, fertile soil, strong local food culture, and scenery that shifts between coastal rain forest, mountain terrain, and open farmland. It is, in many ways, the perfect setting for a show about the joy of growing things.
British Columbia has long been called Hollywood North because so many film and TV productions choose to shoot there. Vancouver Island in particular offers the kind of natural scenery that location managers love. Productions like Maid and Rescued by Ruby have filmed in the greater Vancouver Island area. For This Is a Gardening Show, the island’s mix of community farms, private gardens, schools, and wilderness was exactly what the production needed.
How to visit: You can access Vancouver Island by taking BC Ferries from Vancouver (Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay or Duke Point near Nanaimo) or by float plane from Vancouver, Seattle, and other Pacific Northwest cities. Nanaimo and Victoria are the main entry points.
Mount Washington and Bear Lodge: The Mountain Scenes
One of the most visually striking locations in the series is Mount Washington, a ski and outdoor adventure resort in the Strathcona area of central Vancouver Island. Most people know it as a winter sports spot, but in warmer months it looks completely different. Open alpine meadows, cool mountain air, and wide views over the Comox Valley make it feel like a totally different place.
Several scenes were filmed at Bear Lodge on Mount Washington, a rustic mountain property that appears often in the series. The contrast between the rugged mountain setting and the gentle subject of gardening gives these segments a quietly cinematic quality. Viewers will spot Galifianakis at Bear Lodge in the trailer, and the mountain scenes make an important point: gardening is not just for tidy suburban backyards. Even in cooler, higher-altitude places, people are finding ways to grow food.
How to visit: Mount Washington Alpine Resort is about 30 minutes east of Courtenay in the Comox Valley. The resort is open year-round and offers hiking, mountain biking, and sightseeing lifts in summer. Bear Lodge is on the mountain property.
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Brooklyn Elementary School, Comox: The Children’s Segment
One of the most talked-about filming locations is Brooklyn Elementary School at 1290 Guthrie Road in the town of Comox, on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The Comox Valley is one of the most productive farming areas on the island, and Brooklyn Elementary was chosen for its active school garden program and its eager student community.
The scenes filmed here show Galifianakis interacting with local students who, in many cases, know more about basic horticulture than their adult visitor. A now-famous image from the show’s early promotional material, showing Galifianakis sitting on a school swing with an ear of corn pressed to his head like a phone, was shot here. It perfectly captures the tone of the show: warm, a little silly, and completely genuine.
“You will see a grown man honestly gasp when shown the proper way to plant a seed.”
There is something charming about watching a globally famous comedian receive sincere gardening lessons from a nine-year-old. The Comox Valley community clearly welcomed the production with open arms.
Visitor note: Brooklyn Elementary School is a working primary school and is not open to the public. Please respect the school’s daily operations and the privacy of its students. The wider town of Comox is absolutely worth visiting. It has a great local food and farmers’ market scene.
Comox Valley: Private Farms and Gardens
Beyond the school, the production spent a lot of time across the wider Comox Valley, filming on various private farms and family-run growing spaces throughout the area. The Comox Valley is one of the most celebrated farming zones on Vancouver Island. Its growing season is extended by the shelter of the Beaufort Mountains to the west and the warming effect of the ocean. Local farmers and gardeners here have been growing exceptional produce for generations.
These private farm scenes form the core of the show’s educational content. This is where the expert gardeners, foragers, and food growers that Galifianakis interviews share their practical knowledge. Specific properties were not publicly named to protect the privacy of the landowners, which is standard practice for documentary productions involving private individuals.
How to visit: The Comox Valley (centered on the towns of Courtenay, Comox, and Cumberland) is easy to reach from Nanaimo by car along Highway 19. The area has a well-regarded farmers’ market and many farm-gate sales throughout the growing season.
Westwood Lake, Nanaimo: Lakeside Conversations
Westwood Lake is a freshwater lake on the western edge of Nanaimo, Vancouver Island’s second-largest city and one of its main ferry ports. Surrounded by second-growth Douglas fir forest and connected to a network of walking and mountain bike trails, the lake offers exactly the kind of peaceful, beautiful setting that the show uses as a backdrop for its more relaxed and thoughtful moments.
Several outdoor scenes were filmed at Westwood Lake, where Galifianakis explores plants and speaks with local gardeners against a backdrop of calm water and forest. The location appears throughout the series and shows up in early trailer footage. Because it is a well-known spot for Nanaimo residents, it is one of the easier places for viewers to visit and recognize from the show.
How to visit: Westwood Lake Park is a free, publicly accessible park on the western edge of Nanaimo. It is well-signposted from central Nanaimo and offers walking trails, swimming, and picnic areas. Open year-round.
Denman Island: The Host’s Home
Of all the locations in This Is a Gardening Show, Denman Island carries the most personal meaning. Galifianakis lives here, on this small eco-friendly island in the northern Strait of Georgia, with his family. His connection to the island’s community of growers and nature advocates runs deep.
Denman Island is known for its lush forests, protected wetlands, organic farms, hiking trails, and a strong commitment to the environment. It is home to a tight-knit community with a long tradition of sustainable living and local food production. For a show built around getting back to the earth, it is hard to imagine a more fitting setting. Part of the series was filmed here, taking in the island’s quiet rhythms and its community of people who grow their own food not as a trend but as a way of life.
The island also gives the show a specific kind of authenticity. This is not a production that flew into British Columbia just to use its scenery as a backdrop. The host actually lives here, knows these people, and genuinely wants to learn from his neighbors.
How to visit: You can access Denman Island by short BC Ferries crossing from Buckley Bay on Vancouver Island (between Courtenay and Campbell River). The ferry crossing takes about 10 minutes. The island has a small general store, artists’ studios, organic farms, and great walking trails. Visitors are welcome, but the island is residential. Please treat it accordingly.
Hornby Island: Beaches, Local Produce, and Creative Communities
Next to Denman Island and accessible via a second short ferry crossing, Hornby Island is also confirmed as a filming location for the series. Like Denman, Hornby has a strong identity as an eco-minded, artisan community with a long tradition of sustainable farming and local food production. The island is perhaps best known for its beaches. Tribune Bay in particular is often called one of the finest sandy beaches in Canada. But Hornby also has a busy local produce scene, organic farms, and a creative community of potters, woodworkers, and artists.
Denman and Hornby are commonly grouped together as a single travel destination and share much of the same quiet, unhurried quality that makes the Gulf Islands such a special part of British Columbia. Hornby’s appearance in the show is a natural extension of the Denman filming and reflects the same community and landscape that Galifianakis has been drawn to for three decades.
How to visit: Reach Hornby Island by taking a ferry to Denman Island first, crossing the island by road, and then taking a second short BC Ferries crossing to Hornby from Gravelly Bay. The two ferry crossings together take about 30 to 40 minutes total. Accommodation is available on both Hornby and Denman.
Deep Cove, North Vancouver: The Mainland Excursion
The production also made at least one trip to the mainland, with filming confirmed in and around Deep Cove. This is a charming waterfront village tucked into the eastern edge of the District of North Vancouver, at the head of Indian Arm fjord.
Deep Cove is popular with film crews and viewers alike because it can look like almost anything depending on camera angle: a cozy coastal village, a forested wilderness, a lively outdoor recreation hub. Kayaking, hiking, and cafe culture all coexist in this small pocket of scenery that feels far removed from the city just 30 minutes away. For a gardening show interested in the relationship between people, food, and nature, Deep Cove offered useful variety beyond the island settings.
The surrounding North Vancouver green spaces, including Lynn Canyon and its old-growth rainforest, may have also been used by the production, given their appeal to location teams looking for dramatic natural scenery close to Vancouver’s production facilities.
How to visit: Deep Cove is about 25 km from downtown Vancouver, accessible by car (about 30 minutes) or by a combination of public transit and walking. The village has cafes, kayak rentals, and trailheads for Quarry Rock, one of the most popular short hikes in the Lower Mainland.
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Why British Columbia? A Personal Connection
The choice to film in British Columbia was not just about convenience. It was personal. Zach Galifianakis has a home on Denman Island, one of the Northern Gulf Islands off the east coast of Vancouver Island. He lives there with his Canadian wife Quinn Lundberg and their two children. He told the CBC:
“I’ve been coming to the Vancouver Island area for 30 years, so I was happy to do it in this area, which has a tradition of fantastic gardeners.”
His love of gardening goes back even further. He has talked about being inspired by the sight of an elderly man tending his garden while riding a Vespa through Greece at age 19. That moment sparked a lifelong interest in growing things. The show is, by his own admission, partly selfish. He wanted to learn more for his own farm and garden on Denman Island and used the production as a chance to get advice from some of British Columbia’s best growers.
Director Brook Linder put it simply in a conversation with Deadline:
“Making this show often felt like Zach’s excuse to talk to other gardeners. I kinda think his garden was struggling and he needed help he couldn’t get by walking up to these people in their backyard. You will see a grown man honestly gasp when shown the proper way to plant a seed. This is peak TV.”
Planning a Visit: Practical Notes
If the show has inspired a trip to British Columbia, here is a sensible route that covers the key locations in a manageable order.
Days 1 to 2: Arrive in Nanaimo via ferry from Vancouver. Explore Westwood Lake Park and the city’s Old Quarter.
Days 3 to 4: Drive north along Highway 19 to the Comox Valley (about 90 minutes). Stay in Courtenay or Comox. Visit the Comox Valley farmers’ market, explore the town of Comox, and drive up to Mount Washington for the views.
Days 5 to 6: Take the BC Ferries crossing from Buckley Bay to Denman Island. Spend a day on Denman exploring its farms, forests, and beaches, then catch the second ferry to Hornby Island for the night or the day.
Day 7: Return to the mainland and head to Deep Cove in North Vancouver. Hike to Quarry Rock for the fjord views, have lunch in the village, and explore Lynn Canyon before returning to Vancouver.
The entire circuit can be completed in a week and gives you a real sense of the British Columbia that make you feel like you should probably start a garden.
Galifianakis put it simply:
“For me, it’s about the small miracles that are in the garden and the pleasure you get from producing a carrot out of basically nothing. It’s fascinating.”
The landscapes of British Columbia mirror that idea perfectly. And if you go looking for them in real life, you will find they are every bit as beautiful as they appear on screen, and considerably more peaceful than watching a comedian trying to remember which end of a seed goes in the ground.
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