‘I just had to laugh’: flowers planted in Winnipeg pothole

Flowers planted in a pothole on Donnelly Street in Winnipeg. Uploaded June 16, 2025. (Submitted: Tracy Douglass)

Potholes do not normally make Winnipeggers laugh, but after Tracy Douglass noticed one with freshly planted flowers and soil, she said she just had to giggle.

Douglass said she was walking on Donnelly Street at around 10 a.m. Monday when the brightly-coloured petals caught her eye.

“I thought someone’s just taking a lighthearted approach to something that’s annoying to most people,” she said.

She said she has seen photos of people making light of potholes in other ways, like a painted picture around one or placing a sandbag in the hole, but none involving flowers.

Douglass said the flowers must have been planted in the pothole no earlier than Friday, adding that they weren’t there during her walk last week.

As of April 8, the City of Winnipeg has filled more than 45,000 potholes this year.

CTV News Winnipeg went to the area Monday afternoon, but the flowers were nowhere to be found.