Ukrainian in the US sets a world record with a 10.9-meter sunflower: the flower will become a movie character
15 September 2025 22:50
alex Babich, 47, who lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, grew a sunflower 10.9 meters high. The achievement was officially confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records on September 3, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The record surpassed the previous one, which had stood for more than a decade.
Who is Alex Babych?
- Origin: emigrated to the United States after the Chornobyl accident in 1991.
- Symbolism: started growing sunflowers 7 years ago as a sign of love for Ukraine, where the flower is a national symbol.
- Previous achievements: He has already held the title of the author of the tallest sunflower in the United States (7.67 m in 2022, 7.95 m in 2023).
How the record was set
- Babych received the seeds from German breeder Burkhard Grendel.
- The plant was named “ Clover” in honor of the son of Kinai, who brought four-leaf clovers for good luck.
- The measurement took place in the presence of about 85 people, including gardeners, representatives of local agencies and the Guinness World Records team. A 40-foot lifting platform was used for the procedure.
“This is one of my children. I will die one day, but the stories about this flower will live on. My children will tell it to their grandchildren,” Babych said.
What’s next
- The sunflower will be the subject of the documentary Bloom, which is scheduled to premiere this summer.
- Babych is already distributing seeds to children at festivals in bags with the inscription “Spread love – sunflower seeds.”
- He also plants sunflowers around the campsites he visits with his family.
Sunflower is a key crop for Ukraine, which is the world’s largest exporter of sunflower oil. During the full-scale war, this flower also became a symbol of resistance: a photo of a Ukrainian woman holding out a sunflower seed to a Russian soldier at the beginning of the invasion went viral.
Sunflowers are also known in world culture thanks to the paintings of Vincent van Gogh, but in Ukraine they have a special status as a symbol of fertility and resilience.
