FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) Alex Babich has grown record-breaking sunflowers before. But this year, with one towering plant named Clover stretching 26 feet 8 inches into the sky, he says to have reclaimed the U.S. height record.

The sunflower still needs to be officially measured once it stops growing and the flower matures, but the biggest threat might not be the weather, Babich says, …it’s the squirrels.

“They got two of ‘em already,” Babich said. “Climbed the fence, ripped leaves off, even before the heads grew. It’s like… this structure means something yummy’s up top.”

Babich plans on building a better squirrel barrier this weekend.

Babich, a Ukrainian-American gardener based in Fort Wayne, has built a local following for his sunflower-growing obsession. He currently holds the Fort Wayne record and previously set the national record twice.

“Our first U.S. record that we grew, 25-foot, 2-inch, we achieved during the war when Russia attacked Ukraine,” he said. “That one I named Ukrainian Spirit.”

The sunflower holds deep meaning in Ukraine, where it’s not only the national flower but also a global symbol of peace and resistance. That first record-setting flower is now part of Fort Wayne history…literally.

“That record flower, the head and some seeds from it, just a packet with five seeds, is at the Fort Wayne History Museum right now. You can see it on display.”

Each of Babich’s tallest plants gets a name. This year’s contender, Clover, got hers from his young son, who left a four-leaf clover on one of the giant leaves for good luck.

“I came out to him and asked about it, and he said, ‘Dad, this is for good luck.’ So I named it Clover after that.”

Since then, Clover has grown more than 10 inches in a single day and could break the national record within weeks.

Babich checks on the flower daily, often adjusting its structure and now relying on a cherry picker donated by a local sponsor to safely reach the top. He’s sacrificed time, travel, and sleep to protect it.

“To grow a national record takes sacrifice,” he said. “Patience is the biggest.”

The final measurement is expected in late September, with master gardeners, family, and even the Fort Wayne Komets mascot “Icy” on hand for the big day.

Whether or not Clover breaks the record, Babich says the journey has already grown bigger than he ever imagined.

“It was just a hobby that turned bigger, bigger, bigger… and grew really fast. Just like the sunflower.”