Thanks Josh. The nitida was once a Home Depot plant in a 6x9 Bonsai pot.So,i see nothing wrong with HD Bonsai -If it has a nice form,it has a nice form,no matter who you buy them from. The Emerald Gem was a simple potted shrub,horribly pruned by the previous owner-branches with sharp right angles,one atop the other-yeesh. That was taken back to a single windswept large branch.I think Emerald Gem is particulary good for windswept.It appears to follow a natural form. Not many large Emerald Gem Bonsai around or on the net.I need to take some better pix of it. Some more pruning first.

Whatever you do, don't soak it in the sink, don't immerse it, and unless you're only watering your aralia once a month, I can't believe it's still alive either! Whoever told you to dunk plants/trees to water them is all wet :-). You water from above, like nature, just do it enough so it comes out the drain hole and you'll know all roots had a drink. Both your trees dislike being watered too often, though how often to do it will depend on how dry the top inch or so gets how quickly, and not knowing what soil mix you have, it's hard to say, but the mix should be fast draining - you don't want rotting roots. I absolutely suggest you read up on Ficus, Aralia and bonsai however - a good place to start would be "Bonsai4me.com - species guide near the top, then Ficus, because you can't treat them like house plants and bonsai is not something you learn in 3 easy steps... a lifetime is more like it! Yes you may reduce the leaves, but again, until you know more, do nothing. Don't water on schedule, but when a fair amount of soil has dried... watering a half sodden tree will kill it faster than anything. And water slowly - don't just dump a glass in there. And... all that stuff you've seen about pruning, etc... they should explain that when it's done it's done for a reason, not just because it's a 'bonsai'. Something else for you to investigate! Have fun. This post was edited by moochinka on Sun, Sep 28, 14 at 19:38

I would cut it back in early spring like March before hummers come around. Maybe if you're careful, you could cut it back now.

For a medium sized, durable shrub it is not a bad choice. I find boxleaf honeysuckle to be a very useful if somewhat uninspiring plant :-) It's evergreen, tolerant of quite a lot of shade, drought and salt spray and is not highly attractive to either deer or rabbit predation. 'Red Tip' seems to produce more long, gangly shoots than some of the other cultivars, but then it is the newest growth that produces the red tips so I guess that may be excusable :-) Flowers are insignificant and with no noticeable scent, although the bees love them. The growth habit is often described as like a "haystack" with lateral branches layering on top of each other. I prefer the plant to have minimal pruning, but many do use it as a low hedge and it responds well to shearing, in much the same manner as boxwood or Japanese holly. My preference is to the cultivar 'Lemon Beauty', which offers chartreuse/lime and deep green variegation (great in a shady location) although Edmee Gold ('Briloni') is a newer, more compact selection with bright gold-green foliage, recommended for at least partial shade. IMO, this is a far better looking selection than the older 'Baggesen's Gold', which most often gives the appearance of being half dead or on its way to being dead.