每日吃瓜

Hi everyone.
As with many new bonsai folk, I've recently become a little obsessed with them after having been given a Chinese elm at Christmas. I love the little guy! I always saw bonsai as an amazing art form that would be far beyond the reaches of someone like me. But the more I research, the more I figure that as long as I'm enjoying it, why not have a go?
At the moment, I'm struggling to keep my hands off the Chinese elm... the temptation to prune is almost irresistible, so today I went out and bought a couple of nursery conifers. On returning with them, I realise they're too small to do anything with just now, but setting them outside I remembered a (I think) European spruce that's been hanging around in the garden for 6 or 7 years or so. It had been growing in the ground until a couple of years ago when I uprooted and potted it while laying some paving. It's never looked particularly healthy - the pretty sparce leaves generally staying within the yellow end of the spectrum - and it does have a slightly odd shape, but the trunk is fairly thick, which is good, right?!
Anyhow, my question is whether you guys think this could be a tree worth bonsaiing, and if so would you have any tips on how to take it from here?
Cheers
Luke

LuMas wrote: Anyhow, my question is whether you guys think this could be a tree worth bonsaiing

The branches are too leggy; the foliage is too far away from the base,so sorry, I don't think so.
I think it's a pine, BTW.

I would definitely agree that is quite leggy and thus not really quite suitable for a bonsai. It is a pine though, as it has two needles per fascicle or bundle. Pines (Pinus) always have 2 or more needles to a fascicle, while Spruce (Picea) and Firs (Abies) would only have one. Now if it was a spruce you would also find small 'pegs' on the branches one for each abscised needle. As for separating a Spruce from a Fir based only on the needle, the Fir would be flat whilst a Spruce would be squared in a cross section, also the Fir would have a small pad at the base of the needle proper. I hope this bit of information on using needles to separate genera helps [something I learned in my dendrology class while at uni].

Thanks for the quick feedback, Gary and Auk.
For some reason I thought the needles running along the length of the branch implied a spruce... how wrong I was! That's some useful info, Gary, thank you.
In regards to legginess, is there no way to improve on this?

That is a mugo pine or a sylvestris IMO. Before thinking to improve the legginess you have to restore the health of this tree. Right know it lacks the strength to backbud.

Key to backbudding on pine is strong plants. Lots of sun and well times pruning give you backbudding. So yes, there is something you can do. Give the plants lost of sun, proper fertilizer and follow a suitable pruning regime. The latter is species specific, so make sure you know what species you are working with. I am not good with pines, so I will leave it at this.

Thanks for that, Drakes. Mugo pine looks like a good shout.
Thanks, Leatherback. At this point, I really just want to practice good technique - I'm not too concerned about appearances - so this could be a good little project.
I'll try re-potting in a better drained soil mix, and get on with fertilising.
Thanks again!

Thank you all for your advises, though it is not my tree, I still just wanted to thank you all.