Meet our team
Meet our team
The people that make this all work.
Robert Corona
The founder and plant enthusiast behind Elio’s Greenhouse. With academic backgrounds in historic preservation and conservation, Robert has long been drawn to the idea that overlooked things can be cared for, restored, and given new life. That philosophy became the foundation of Elio’s Greenhouse and its focus on rescue, restoration, and wonder. For Robert, caring for plants is closely connected to preservation: recognizing value, understanding what something needs to survive, and allowing its history and character to remain part of its story.
Elio
Elio is the namesake, mascot, and unofficial boss of Elio’s Greenhouse. A very spoiled Pomeranian with plenty of personality, Elio inspired a greenhouse built around care, character, and second chances. His name became a natural fit for a plant studio where every rescue, rare find, and unusual Hoya is treated like part of the family.
When he isn’t supervising greenhouse operations, Elio can usually be found enjoying the attention he believes he deserves.
Jay Crossley
The creative force behind Elio’s Greenhouse, providing art direction and overseeing all things visual and creative. He also shares a particular interest in collector Hoyas, helping shape the greenhouse’s growing collection of distinctive and unusual varieties. From branding and photography to plant selection and presentation, Jay brings together design, storytelling, and a collector’s eye to help define the look and character of Elio’s Greenhouse.
Elio’s Greenhouse is a small plant studio rooted in rescue, restoration, and wonder. What began with a few clearance-rack plants and a love for beautiful spaces slowly became a living collection of second chances.
Named after our spoiled Pomeranian, Elio, the greenhouse reflects the belief that care transforms things. Many of our plants were overlooked, damaged, frozen, rootbound, or left behind. We rehabilitate them slowly and intentionally, giving them the time and attention they need to thrive again.
Our style blends tropical greenhouse energy with art, architecture, humor, memory, and identity. We are inspired by warm Florida humidity, art, architecture, Latin American color and spirituality, historic interiors, joy, and the feeling of walking into a space that instantly softens your nervous system.
Elio’s Greenhouse is not about perfection or rare collector status. It is about connection. We believe plants tell stories about survival, place, and care. Whether it is a dramatic alocasia, a crooked croton rescued after a freeze, or a tiny cutting shared at a plant swap, every plant becomes part of a larger living environment built with intention.
At its heart, Elio’s Greenhouse is about creating small moments of wonder for people who need them.