Stalk About Overachieving: Indiana Sunflower Towers Over Us All

Step aside, NBA giants – there’s a new skyscraper on the block, and it doesn’t even need sneakers. Meet Clover, the towering Fort Wayne, Indiana sunflower that’s shot up to nearly 35 feet, unofficially staking its claim as the tallest sunflower on Earth.

According to a report from WANE 15 News, this isn’t just a tall plant – it’s a full-blown garden skyscraper.

Clover recently set a new U.S. record when the sunflower grew to 26 feet, 8 inches tall – and now sunflower owner Alex Babich is aiming for the global title. He’s waiting for Guinness World Records to officially recognize his towering plant, which currently stands at almost 35 feet tall according to a YouTube post from about a week ago. He is working on setting an official Guinness World Records measuring date. The previous record in Germany is a plant that measured 30-foot-1-inch.

Babich, who’s described by the media outlet as a “local extreme gardener” doesn’t admit to using any magic beans. But you don’t grow a plant taller than most telephone poles without a little fertilizer fairy dust. He’s excited to bring the world record home to America – and also to Fort Wayne.

Babich started growing sunflowers six years ago as a hobby with his kids. But the hobby grew. And grew. And grew.

This giant bloom has become such a local celebrity that a cherry picker was even brought in by the city to protect it from furry freeloaders (squirrels).

So, while most of us are just relieved when our gardens survive the bugs, mildew, and that one late frost, Babich’s backyard has gone and grown its own skyline. If Guinness gives the green light, Clover won’t just be a sunflower – it will be the leafy legend who proved that in Fort Wayne, the sky really is the limit.

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