In MY opinion you can turn most any tree or shrub in to a bonsai. I have many scheflerra’s, ginseng ficus, golden gate ficus, azalea, gardenia, etc. bonsai. I guess I just think of it in a different way. But that’s okay of course. Just as your own interpretation of bonsai is. But I tend to see potential in any type of plant/tree/shrub.
Unfortunately, bonsai is not really about opinion, now is it? I would dare say that not every shrub dumped into a pot is a bonsai. Let alone a good bonsai. I would say there are some additional things. Growing bonsai is about creating a tree in miniature, that represents trees in life size, but much smaller. And doing so in a way that it appears to have grown that way naturally, so not showing the human hand involved.
I think you will find that people are more responsive & positive towards helping, if you are more open to receiving input given.
