Fort Wayne, Indiana – When Ukrainian immigrant Alex Babich stood in Indiana’s backyard, his neck looked 35 feet long, he wasn’t just staring at sunflower seeds. He is looking at his roots – and the legacy of the future.
The flower, nicknamed “Clover” and was confirmed by the Guinness World Record on Wednesday as the highest sunflower ever, stretching as high as a telephone pole.
Realizing this feat has special significance for the 47-year-old Babich, because the sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine.
Born and raised in Ukraine, he immigrated to the United States in 1991 after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Seven years ago, he began planting sunflowers to symbolize his love for his motherland. Babich’s first sunflower was 13 feet tall, then 15 years old, then 19 years old. He quickly asked himself, “How far can we go?” Beech said the record-setting flowers were the result of “years of trial and error.”
“This is one of my kids,” he said. “You take care of it every day.”
Babich’s 10-year-old son also made a significant contribution to winning the name of towering flowers. He will climb onto the scaffolding and put four-leaf clover on the leaves of the sunflower, wishing you good luck.
Photo: The world’s tallest sunflower blooms in Indiana backyard to pay tribute to Ukraine
“I will die one day, but the story of this flower will continue to exist,” he said. “My children will tell this story to their grandchildren.”
Babich was nervous when the measurement day arrived on September 3.
About 85 people gathered to watch, including several master gardeners from local universities and representatives of Allen County’s weightlifting and measures. Babich made WhatsApp calls with a representative from Guinness World Records. A camera crew member was filming, and a drone flew over his head. According to Guinness, even Icy D. Eagle, the mascot of the Fort Wayne Komets minor league hockey team, was there.
They used a 40-foot cherry picker to measure the flowers. The Clover is 35 feet tall and 9 inches tall, 5 feet taller than the previous world record holder in Germany.
“It’s very exciting,” Beach said. “It’s as good as it is for someone who grows up giants.”
Growing up in Ukraine’s food shortage inspired Babic’s love for gardening. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, his feelings for sunflowers deepened.
“We’re just praying that the war will end and the killing will stop,” Babic said. “We’re just hoping that this inspires some people in the right place. It’s long enough.”
Sunflower has long been a national symbol of peace in Ukraine, and since 2022 it has become a symbol of unity with the embattled state. In a viral video clip from the early days of the war, a Ukrainian woman faced a Russian soldier and eventually offered to “put sunflower seeds in your pocket to grow after you die.”
In 1996, ministers from the United States, Russia and Ukraine planted sunflowers at the Pervomaysk missile base in honor of the country’s nuclear weapons disarmament. In 1986, after the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded and later brought Babici’s family to the United States, scientists planted sunflowers to remove toxins from the soil.
Babich’s Sunflower will soon become the star of the documentary “Bloom,” which is scheduled to be released this summer. Meanwhile, Babich began planting sunflowers around the campground he visited with his family and spreading seed packs to the children during the festival.
What is pasted on the seed bag is a sticker that says “Spread Love – Sunflower Seeds”.
