I know I don't count, having barely any horticultural skills... but my second juniper survived the end of the summer being simply in a southwest window. Knowing that I bought it from a big-box store where I found it sitting in a dim environment, I guess it appreciated what little light it could get. And I still don't know how it's still living given the fact that I've been strictly told and nagged at that it would ONLY survive outdoors (I've had it outside since mid to late November, as to achieve dormancy). But it's always been madly humid in the summertime in my area... maybe that had something to do with it? I'm pretty sure that the poor thing got even greener in my posession, even while indoors. I DID give it a bit of extra light from a fluorescent tube... but I still don't know what I did right.
It's presumably a very young Chinese juniper, which I concluded after checking a bonsai picture book with a species section in it: "The Complete Book of Bonsai"... although it only showed a more mature needle structure in a photo of a clipping. It seems to be potted in a surprisingly half-ways free-draining medium with bits of hard-fired clay. Most of the stuff looks like a rich dirt instead of a special bonsai potting medium. I watered it like crazy for a while in the beginning, not knowing standard procedure. But I suppose it needed it in hindsight, considering where I bought it. Also, I checked if it was rootbound before the growing season was up... probably a bad idea, but it surprisingly was not outgrowing its pot yet, considering its status as a mallsai. It still lives, aside from a broken branch that I hopelessly tried to help mend at the end of the growing season. Gonna trim that once I know exactly which parts are totally dead... but no matter. I'm deviating, as usual.
Anyways, I probably hold no secrets. Move along!