Westvirjeni

Jeni Walker and her husband Kevin co-own and operate a one-of-a-kind flower farm, garden, florist shop, historic landmark, and agri-tainment event space. That is a lot for one thing to be, but when speaking with a wide-smiled and often laughing Jeni, it doesn’t even come close to describing what “Westvirjeni” actually is.

The heart and soul of the operation, Jeni is known for her stunning and wholly unique floral arrangements. She has now grown her passion into something larger than herself.

Working for years as a financial advisor, Jeni also had a side job working with the literal opposite of cash and coin: flowers. As more and more of her time was spent working with delicate blossoms, management gave her an ultimatum: flowers or finances. She laughed and said,

“Big mistake on their part, that was the quickest decision I’ve ever made.”

That was back in 2013, but through an amazing dedication to doing what she thought was right, Jeni continued working both jobs until 2017 when she could no longer keep Westvirjeni confined to just side work. Shortly after, Kevin decided to call it quits on his full-time job, and in 2021 they purchased “Linden Spring”. Nestled in the back roads of Jefferson County, this fully operational flower farm is the headquarters for a business that requires a whole team of creative people to keep it running.

Floristry pioneer Mark Harding works creating arrangements for in-house events and handles daily deliveries, an ever-growing part of the business. Mark formerly owned and operated “Flower Haus”, a brick-and-mortar florist shop in downtown Shepherdstown. His store (along with 70 percent of all florist shops) closed due to pandemic-related issues - he now brings his expertise to Westvirjeni. Mark is a truly amazing artist, and with his combined knowledge of the flower industry and undeniable talent with plants and floral displays, he creates next-level works of art that leave the viewer at a loss for words.

Running an agri-tainment location requires many talented designers and managers, but you also need someone that knows (and grows) the plants. Both a farmer and a charmer, Alicia Halverson helps to plan and maintain the overall growing operation. She keeps the flowering shrubs and trees pruned, watches over the perennial flowers, cultivates native species, and adds new garden beds. Alicia says that Jeni is first and foremost an artist and that it’s more of a collaboration when workinwg with her, as opposed to simply being given tasks.

“Jeni isn’t a boss, she’s a leader, and we have a true team here.”

Alicia absolutely loves working at Linden Springs and had admired the property for years before getting the chance to work there. She especially enjoys watching the passing waters of Rattlesnake Run as it snakes its way through the property eventually reaching the Potomac River.

Owning a business with your spouse can be a recipe for disaster for some, but Jeni says making their own schedule and having different tasks for the business gives her and Kevin the space to make it work. Mark Harding laughs as he describes one key role that Kevin performs: translator for Jeni’s shorthand language.

“It can be in the final hour of getting things ready for an event with seventeen different things left to do and Jeni will say, ‘Babe’ and Kevin will know which seventeen things need to be done based on the inflection of how she said ‘Babe’.”

Kevin wears many hats for the business but one of the most daunting is the upkeep of the twelve-acre farm. When speaking with him, that’s when his face lit up the most. As he talks about cutting back the thorn-riddled Osage Orange trees, he interrupts himself and says,

“Do you know it’s the hottest burning wood east of the Mississippi?”

Pointing as he speaks, he highlights an area where they are the natural border to the property, and their thick dark branches create an eerie but magical overhang effect.

“We used to call them monkey brains as a kid, [due to the oddly-shaped inedible fruit] but when you cut them, the wood is such a bright color, and if the wood isn’t really dry when you burn it, it throws sparks like crazy. I had no idea they were this cool.”

Quick to talk and quick to laugh, it’s the shared passion that Jeni and Kevin have that inspires their team members and their clientele. You can feel it as you talk with the team and see it in the arrangements they create. They are all as stunning and unique as the flowery works of art they display.

While the expansion to Linden Spring isn’t the easiest row to hoe, Jeni and Kevin’s dreams are growing just like the flowers they’ve planted.