My girlfriend gifted me a small Bonsai tree for Christmas and I immediately started looking up how to care for it. I'm still not exactly sure what kind it is cause she didn't know when she picked it up. At this point, I'm more interested in keeping it alive than doing anything else. Below are some pictures and things I've done so far:

-Checked soil every day to see if it was damp, watered when it became hard to tell if it was wet.
-Placed in a light area of living room, recently bought a full spectrum UV lamp to help supplement natural daylight (I live in Washington state and winter sunlight hours are short)
-Picked up any leaves that naturally fell off
-Species Ideas: (still not sure yet)
-Ficus
-Dwarf Pomegranate
-Boxwood?

Problems:
I've noticed that the leaves are continuing to become yellow and fall off the tree. At first, I thought it was just because It was maybe overwatered by my girlfriend but I've tried my best to stick to the doctrine of, "don't water it unless it really needs it". I don't know if this is normal for this tree in the winter or if I am doing something wrong. I also picked up some Bonsai "food" mineral supplement at the local botanical shop. I know most plants including bonsai tend to grow in the spring and summer but if this tree needs some extra juice to re-grow these fallen leaves then should I start feeding it now?

Thanks for your help!!!

P.S. his name is Benjamin

Update, maybe its a Fukien Tea bonsai?

well done! i cant see any errors in your care, i think it might be a fukien tea tree. ))

Welcome to the forum.

This tree is slowly dying, just like soooo many others. Have you done a search on the forum? This is Nr 1001 this week with the same problem.

- This plant was put in a small pot probably in bad soil
- It is a tropical species. With luck it was not sent to you directly from a tropical moist greenhouse. But it might be. Transition leads to leaf drop. Unless you are skilled in growing plants this may cause death
- Watering is done when needed, not on a schedule. Keep damp, not wet. Do not let the substrate drie out for more than the first half cm of the topsoil
- Do NOT fertilize unhealthy plants. Fertilizer is NOT plant food and wil NOT improve the health of the plant
- Ensure it is not sitting on top of a heater unless you really know what you are doing

It is a carmona, a.k.a. fukien tree

Thanks leatherback so here's the plan I've got going forward with one small question:

-In the spring explore repotting the plant with a fresh mix of Akadama/pumice
-Keep it warm but not too warm (around room temperature) and make sure it's not right up against the windows when it gets cold at night.
-Stick with a watering practice of "only water when the very top layer of soil is no longer noticeably damp"
-Don't fertilize unless it is healthy and in the proper phase of it's growing season
-Keep the room it lives in more humid than normal.

Now to the question: What do you mean by heater? There is a heater vent (from the HVAC system of the house) nearby to where the tree is now, but the lamp/stand it rests on does not have a heater in it's base is thats what you meant.

Thanks for the help and your patience!