So I want to know what and see your first bonsai or "bonsai". For me it was a blue rug juniper. Weird I know. I did some research first and found more than I bargained for. I read about taking nursery stock and turning it into bonsai. A year later it was really sick and I was told it was dead. I didn't give up hope so I put it in the ground. It is still alive today. Here are two pictures. One from when it was sick and the other was taken today.

chinese elm and died

Ficus Retusa and NZ Teatree.
Both doing well (I live in Brazil).

Olive tree given to me by my gran in Italy, I gave it to a bonsai artist when I moved to Scotland but when I went back to Italy to get it I found out that he died and left his trees to his wife but most of them died , including my wee Olive

Ps : good job keeping yours so healthy

Enaisio wrote: Ps : good job keeping yours so healthy

I had to learn plants before continuing with bonsai. Thanks!

Considering that I/we just started last Spring I am happy to report that everything is going well. In fact, today we just the pots out of the raised bed we buried them in for the winter (we live in the mid-Atlantic US).
My first trees are an ugly Fukien Tea that I fondly call my Franken-Fukien because it grows like a weed and a shohin sized Juniper that is young and needs to bulk up. They're not really picture worthy, but I like them.

A big leaf maple seedling. It is back in the ground to get a 5cm trunk, while building refined crown. I realize that with sacrifice branches you can have your cake and eat it.

Mallsai chinese elm from local bonsai center.
Killed by spider mites last spring when the tiny leaves were opening.
I used 2 different insecticides this year to prevent another attack on my trees.

A shohin chinese elm. Looks like the unexpected cold killed it during winter. It has not started to bring new buds...