Sunflower reaches new heights, breaks world record in Indiana: Honors Ukraine

A gardener from Indiana named Clover has smashed the world record for growing the tallest sunflower, which is 35 feet and 8 inches above the ground in Fort Wayne, in Allen County.

The flower nicknamed “Clover” was officially recognized as the tallest sunflower to have grown in a garden.

Upon breaking the record, which holds a special place for Babich, as the sunflower represents the national flower of Ukraine.

Alex Babich was born and raised in Ukraine; his family immigrated to the US when he was 14 in 1991.

He developed a passion for sunflowers at the age of seven. Why sunflowers? Because they represent his homeland, and in a way they're an expression of love for the homeland.

Babich's first sunflower was 13 feet (4 meters) tall, then 15 (4.5) feet, then 19 (5.8) feet.

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, his passion for sunflowers multiplied ten times.

Soon came the day when a team from Guinness World Records came to measure the height of his sunflower, "Clover."

The team uses a 40-foot cherry picker to measure the flower, and Clover was measured at 35 feet (11 meters) and 9 inches (22.9 centimeters); that means it breaks the previous record by 5 feet (1.5 meters) in height, held by a German.

The sunflower has a long-rooted history of representing peace in Ukraine, and since 2022, it has become a symbol of solidarity with a country that is fighting a war against Russia.