The world’s tallest sunflower blooms in an Indiana backyard as a tribute to Ukraine
Fort Wayne, Industry. (AP) – 47 -year -old Alex Babich, Fort Wayne, stood in the backyard in Indiana, craneing his neck 35 meters to look at the sky, not just looking at a sunflower. He was looking at his roots and his future legacy.
Nicknamed “Clover ve and confirmed as the longest sunflower measured so far by Guinness World Records on Wednesday, as high as a phone pole.
Babich, who was born and raised in Ukraine, emigrated to the United States at the age of 14 in 1991 after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. It started to grow seven years ago sunflower like a symbol his Love for his own country.
“Sunflower Ukraine’s national flower, so special for me,” he said.
Babich’s first sunflower is 13 feet length, then 15, then 19. Çabuk, “How much can we get this?” He began to ask.
He collected seeds from the longest examples to sensitize a genetic line, to change the seeds from other giant sunflower breeders, and now formulated a secret plant flow, which he calls “family heirloom”. He planted each seed under the growth lights before he transferred outside. Then he planned a sunflower pier on a napkin and began to build.
Babich said that the record -breaking flower was the result of “trial and error for years ..
“This is one of my children,” he said. “You are interested there every day.”
Babich’s 10 -year -old son had a significant contribution to the rising flower. The scaffold would climb and place four -leaf clover on sunflower leaves for good luck.
“One day I will die, but the stories of this flower will live,” he said. “My children will tell this story to the grandchildren.”
The measurement day arrived on September 3, Babich was nervous.
A few master gardeners from a local university gathered to watch about 85 people, including representatives of the Department of Weight and Measures of Allen. Babich was calling a WhatsApp with a representative of Guinness World Records. A camera team was pulling and a drone flew from the hill. According to Guinness, Icelu D. Eagle, the mascot of the local Koulda ice hockey team, was even there.
They used a 40 -meter cherry selector to measure the flower. Yonca was 35 feet and 9 inch, 5 feet longer than the previous world record holders in Germany.
“Very emotional, Bab Babich said. “As good as it is for a gigantic growing.”
Growing up in the middle of food scarcity in Ukraine fired Babich’s love of gardening. His love Sunflower deepened After Russia’s 2022 Ukrainian invasion.
Babich said, “We are praying for the end of the war, the killing will stop,” Babich said. “I hope it inspires some people in these right places. It was long enough.”
Sunflower It has been a national symbol that has been in Ukraine for a long time and has been a national symbol and since 2022 solidarity With Embatted country. In a viral video clip in the early days of the war, a Ukrainian woman confronted the Russian soldier and ultimately ” Sunflower seeds in your pocket So they grow up when they die. “
Ministers from the USA, Russia and Ukraine in 1996 Sunflower planted in Pulvomaysk Missile base to mark the country’s disarmament of nuclear weapons. In 1986, after the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant that brought Babich’s family to the United States, scientists planted a sunflower to remove toxins from the earth.
Babich’s sunflower will be the star of a documentary called “Bloom olan, which is planned to be released this summer. Meanwhile, Babich began to plant sunflower in the camp sites he visited with his family and to remove seed packages for children at festivals.
There are stickers in seed packages with the words “Sagittarius – Sunflower Seeds”.
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Fernando reported from Chicago.
