Hi my user name is dyn blin, which means angry man in Welsh it’s what my wife calls me. I am a keen gardener but know nothing of bonsai, I have a couple of supermarket ones, but I was given this little tree which was assumed to be ginseng, I am wondering if it is an overgrown bonsai or just a tree, if it is a bonsai can it be reshaped. It is about eighteen inches tall and has been in the same pot, I have attached a couple of photos. I would really appreciate your advice.

Many thanks

Don't be angry at me, but..
That leggy ginseng ficus is not fit for a bonsai.
At all.

you would probably have to let him grow for a few years to build up more foliage, but after that, its fit to go! bonsai can be made from any tree you can find (although some look better than others. bonsai litterally means 'pot' and 'tree' in japanese, so as lond as it is bot of those things, i guess it is a bonsai! personally, i would not really choose that particular specimen for bonsai, but it is still possible. good luck dude!

cranny wrote: bonsai litterally means 'pot' and 'tree' in japanese, so as lond as it is bot of those things, i guess it is a bonsai

No and no.

cranny wrote: bonsai litterally means 'pot' and 'tree' in japanese, so as lond as it is bot of those things, i guess it is a bonsai! personally, i would not really choose that particular specimen for bonsai, but it is still possible. good luck dude!

I would disagree. Take a look: www.growingbonsai.net/what-is-a-bonsai/