Hi fishbone, welcome to the madness.
I'll start with this is a
juniper, probably procumbens nana.
Now to the bummer stuff, worst probably being this tree NEEDS to be outside to achieve dormancy, if you keep it inside it will be a gonner, look for info on
overwintering in our search section, this alone will keep you busy.
Terrible , I repeat TERRIBLE instructions for
watering, follow that and you get a dead tree. They need to be watered as needed not on schedule, you will have to check it to see how dry ity gets , then water when needed( when just a little moistness is left). This will mean getting thru the gravel and checking the
soil, which by the way should not seem like dirt. These do not like to have wet rots, or to dry out.
If you put out like it needs,
fertilizer isn't needed now.
Once you read around this forum and others (check this one for the GREAT articles, they will help immensely
http://www.bonsaitalk.com/lug/link_...hp?link=11&c=59 ), you should as you go look in on some of the picture galleries, this will give you some better reference when reading thru different sections, and try to picture what the posters are talking about.
You will find most non newbies do not consider the current style that this has, to be a great bonsai, not a bad start, and if it floats your boat thats great. Decent trunk by the way for a first tree, we have seen MUCH worse.
Ah forgot the bonsai tree question - there is no such thing as a bonsai tree, it is the craft/art of developing a mature looking miniature representation of trees in nature, started long long ago by the Chinese.
Go to the beginners, and FAQ sections and read my friend, there is SO much to learn, especially if you have no horticultural experiance. Then read some more
.
Good luck, stick around, and hopefully you will find yourself in a never ending hobby. Don't get discouraged, there lots to learn, and most of us have killed a tree or 12, so have fun, and lets us know how it goes.
Search on the words in blue, and it should get you a head start on finding the info you need. Sorry can't do it here without dragging this out for about 10 pages.
Again Good Luck.