A Ukrainian immigrant in Indiana grew the world’s tallest sunflower, nursing the plant to a measured height of 35 feet, 9 inches, Guinness World Records confirmed. The sunflower, grown in the Fort Wayne backyard of 47-year-old Alex Babich, was measured on Sept. 3 and later certified by Guinness as the tallest sunflower ever recorded.
Babich, a landscape gardener, seed seller and outdoor gear designer, said he planted the sunflower as a tribute to his war-torn homeland. He has been growing sunflowers for seven years, and the record plant — nicknamed “Clover” — grew from years of experimentation and care.
Roughly 85 people gathered for the formal measurement, including master gardeners from a local university and representatives from the Allen County Department of Weights and Measures. Babich was on the phone with a Guinness World Records representative while a camera crew, drone and a 40-foot cherry picker were used to determine the flower’s height. Guinness said the plant beat the previous record holder in Germany by about five feet.
The sunflower earned its nickname when Babich’s 10-year-old son climbed scaffolding arranged around the stalk and placed four-leaf clovers on its leaves for good luck. Babich said the relationship with the plant had become deeply personal. “It’s one of my kids,” he said, adding that “you’re out there every day taking care of it.” He also said, “I’m going to die someday, but the stories of this flower will live on.”
Babich emigrated to the United States at age 14 after the Chernobyl disaster. He began deliberately cultivating sunflowers in 2018; his first efforts produced a 13-foot plant. He said the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine intensified his attachment to the flowers, which are widely recognized as a national symbol for Ukraine and a sign of solidarity and peace.
The record-breaking sunflower will appear in a documentary titled “Bloom,” which the project’s producers planned to release this summer. Babich said he hoped the plant’s prominence would draw attention to Ukraine’s plight and inspire others. “We just pray that the war will end, that the killing will stop,” he said. “We just hope this inspires some people in the right places. It’s been long enough.”
Officials and spectators documented the measurement process for Guinness, and the record now stands as a locally rooted, internationally recognized achievement. Babich said he planned to continue gardening and sharing the story behind the plant with his children and future generations.