Blooms to brighten old Esplanade site

A sea of white and pink blooms will hopefully brighten a site that has sat undeveloped for the past seven years, after thousands of native daisy seeds were sown on Sunday.

Rotary Club of Albany City member Ross Tassicker has driven efforts to beautify the former Esplanade Hotel site before thousands of visitors flock to Albany in October for Anzac centenary commemorations.

Inspired by poppy planting projects across the Great Southern, Mr Tassicker approached Kojonup everlasting daisy supplier Jennifer Egerton-Warburton, who donated the seeds.

Dozens of dedicated volunteers recently spruced up the site and prepared a 2m-wide strip along the Adelaide Crescent and Flinders Parade boundary.

About 10kg of seeds were planted on Sunday, which Mrs Egerton-Warburton said was double the usual one gram per square metre ratio, in hopes the border will divert attention from the rest of the block.

"I have always visited Albany and looked at the site and felt really disappointed nothing was happening, so I am very, very happy to help out a worthy cause," she said.

"Even if it is just the edges, hopefully it will distract people from looking at the eyesore behind it."

Mr Tassicker said the community response to activity on the neglected site was much greater than the Rotary club expected and residents were excited.

"People walking along the footpath stopped and congratulated us," he said.