Roxirin wrote:

The ficus is about six months old (likely older since I got it at a national trust garden shop, it's not a mallsai at least!)

I'd say it is not even a mallsai. Mallsai at least have had some (not very good) bonsai training. It is certainly not a bonsai and not even suitable (talking about the plant, not the species).

and add bits about succulents and terrariums here and there

Personally, I hope you won't. It IS off topic. If I'm interested in succulents, I'll visit a forum for that.
Though... an exception could be small ones that are suitable as accent plants

Anyway, I look forwards to meeting you all! This seems like a great forum

Hope you still feel the same

Hi and welcome!

The tillandsia could make a nice accent plant

By the way, your ficus is not sutiable for bonsai unfortunately but could make a nice house plant.

Keeping plants indoors is not easy and certanly an impossible way to do bonsai.

I courage you to read some nice articles about the art of bonsai and if you are really interested,try a specimen that could be find locally in the UK.

I list you some sites that helped me:

www.growingbonsai.net/

www.evergreengardenworks.com/articles.htm

bonsaitonight.com/

www.bonsai4me.com/

Hello Roxirin and welcome to forum.

Dont want to screw your introduction but your Ficus (Microcarpa Ginseng) is in pretty bad shape for having it 6 months. You may want find ways to improve its health. Good Luck.

Thanks for your response ^^ I'll take your advice regarding the terrariums and keep to my own.

Hello! I'm sorry to hear that, it seems perfectly healthy to me (I'd just recently trimmed it back and it's grown a lot of new leaves since then, perhaps that's why it looked a little scraggly?)... its shape, granted, isn't the best thing in the world, I'm waiting to do something about that at the moment. Thank you for your response regardless

Hello! It's unfortunate that y ficus has been deemed unsuitable for bonsai. I'm sure it will grow into a nice plant regardless. Thank you for your advice and for the links! I have some cherry blossom seeds in the fridge right now. Perhaps those will do better in regards to bonsai ^^

Greetings!
New to this site and new to the art of bonsai. I reside in southern Indiana and hope to learn a lot from everyone here. I have always been fascinated by Bonsai and only recently decided to take the steps in working with some plants. It began with the decision to plan for new landscaping this year and at the same time finding a local bonsai shop where I was able to pick up a couple used pots and some tools.

My plan from the start was to get some plants to experiment with and begin some long term projects as well. So I found some very cheap Acer rubrum that I am going to let grow, picked up a Prunus cerasus (dwarf cherry) that I found with some nice movement, and a couple shrubs from the yard that are about 20 years old to play around with.

Very excited to learn and hope to get some help in my initial decisions with the plants I have to gain some confidence. Here are pictures of my purchased cherry and the lilac I managed to get into a pot (root base was absolutely huge, surprised its budding out after everything it lost). Not sure my game plan with them yet, but we'll see what I can make of them.

Nice to meet everyone!

Welcome, Nathan S.
Keep them alive!

That's always the best place to start!

Nathan wrote:

Very excited to learn and hope to get some help in my initial decisions with the plants I have to gain some confidence. Here are pictures of my purchased cherry and the lilac I managed to get into a pot (root base was absolutely huge, surprised its budding out after everything it lost). Not sure my game plan with them yet, but we'll see what I can make of them.

For both... Let them grow and develop. Water and fertilize them as needed. In the second case (the lilac I presume) a good ole pruning job might be required as well. Not such a bad material to start with that second tree of yours, by the way.

Oh and yes... Keep´em both outdoors. No point or need in having your trees (or anyone´s by that matter) "living" indoors. That´s almost always a sure recipe for a slow death of a tree.

Alain