Merike Linnamägi, biodiversity adviser at the Ministry of Climate, told the morning radio show "Vikerhommik" that lupines are spreading rapidly, especially in South Estonia. "This is a non-native species that causes various problems," Linnamägi said.

"They enrich the soil with nitrogen — you might think that's a good thing — but actually, many of our native plants have adapted to nutrient-poor soils. These plants struggle and can't compete in those conditions," she explained.

According to Linnamägi, lupines grow very aggressively and push out other species.

"Lupines bloom for a fairly short time in summer. When you have a large, dense field of lupines, all the pollinators that rely on it now will be left without food in the second half of summer. In a monoculture lupine field, by late summer, all that's left is green biomass," she noted.

"Lupines are not banned in Estonia, but the issue has been discussed at the European Union level in the past. However, because lupines are also an important fodder crop in Europe, those discussions were put on the back burner," Linnamägi added.

She explained that most lupines in Estonia originate from home gardens. "A typical problem is that people dump their garden waste in the woods, and from there, lupines start spreading," she said.

"In gardens, it depends on what's growing next to them. If there are more delicate, cold-sensitive plants that require more care, lupines can end up taking over the entire bed," she added.

Linnamägi noted that several other non-native plant species are already banned from being grown in home gardens in Estonia, such as Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed and goldenrod.

"Giant hogweed is widespread across Estonia. There's hardly a spot left where it hasn't caused some kind of problem," Linnamägi said.

"At first, the plant seems small — it just puts out a few leaves — but look away for a moment and suddenly it's two meters tall. That growth spurt in the middle of summer is dramatic," she explained.

For smaller and more scattered colonies, Linnamägi recommended digging up the plants individually. "If it's a larger colony, we recommend using herbicide," she said.

Another non-native species thriving in Estonia is rugosa rose or beach rose, which tends to grow in large clusters, especially in sandy coastal areas. "Wherever these plants get established, they thrive, and our native rose species disappear," Linnamägi said.

She added that the issue with rugosa rose is that it displaces native plant species and alters the appearance of entire coastal landscapes.

"There are some places where it's practically taken over the whole shoreline," Linnamägi said.

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