Hello!

I've just joined this forum so I'll introduce myself a bit. I'm 27 years old, I'm an artist, I live in the UK and just started my interest in Bonsai. I was given a 'Grow your own' Bonsai kit and began growing my seeds through leaving them in the fridge for a while (following the instructions of the leaflet that came with it). I have been told that this means they are outdoor Bonsai. Out of all the seeds, one remains and it's been quite a journey getting the stage I am now. I named my Bonsai 'Hope' for this reason! A fighter!

I love checking it's slow progress each day and how it's changing. I am such a novice at the moment and looking for some reading material to educate myself.

Anyway, I was hoping whether this is enough for any of you to identify what Bonsai this is. Can anyone help? The only information I had with the seeds was 'Mixed Bonsai'.

Thanks!

It is not a bonsai - a seedling never is.
The species may be chinese elm.

Congratulations on getting a seed from a bonsai kit to sprout! I've never heard of one that was viable haha. I would agree with Auk that it looks like a Chinese Elm, in which case you have a seedling that may eventually grow into a nice little tree. Once it has grown a little stronger, probably the best thing would be to plant it in your garden and just let it grow like crazy for a few years. I have an American elm that I have been allowing to grow to significant height (around 10 feet) before chopping it back to grow again the next year. Each time I will chop it back a little sooner so that the trunk tapers from thick at the base to relatively thin at the top. I've no doubt that at the end of the process I will have an ugly but strong tree that hopefully I can then develop into a bonsai. I would recommend you attempt something similar with your tree, at least for a year or two to thicken the trunk somewhat. In the meantime I believe that the UK has a thriving bonsai community, and you should be able to find a club to learn more about the art. Also, you can check out mikbonsai (a uk bonsaist) on youtube which you may find instructive and interesting.

Thank you! It's very exciting to look up the Chinese Elm and see it's potential. I appreciate the advice. So you suggest I take it out from the pot and plant it outside for a while? Any good reccommendations on a book I could read that would really help me in my process from seedling to Bonsai?

I would actually recommend just taking a look at youtube channels like mikbonsai and The Bonsai Zone with Nigel Saunders first. I find that books on the subject can sometimes be a little unclear as to exactly how to go about many of the important practices used in bonsai. Nigel Saunders seems to especially enjoy growing trees from seed so I would recommend him first.