Chinese Elm Bonsai starter

[WatchMeShove]

I currently have a Chinese Elm which I cut back to about 8-10 inches tall a couple weeks ago. I was originally planning on using it for bonsai, but I have minimal bonsai experience and haven't gardened in a couple years. This was sort of an experiment just to see what would happen since all the bonsai I have trained in the past have been small, this is my first large try. The tree was probably 10-12 feet tall when I cut it down. I was just on here to ask if anyone knows which direction I should be going, if I should cut back some of the branches, or just let it go for this season and then decide. In other words, I guess what I'm asking is: if this was your tree in your yard, what necessary steps would you take to eventually turn this into a successful bonsai? I do understand that this tree could still be five years from "actually" looking like a bonsai, and I'm ok with that. I just don't want to make any huge mistakes along the way. Any input would be very helpful. One other question: I noticed that there are actually branches starting to grow out of the top cut where the cambium layer is, and I didn't expect that (one of the pictures shows this). I thought that all new growth would be from the sides. Should I let these grow or get rid of them? Thank you everyone.

[Gnome]

WatchMeShove,

I'm not able to spend much time right now but here is a progression of a tree I've been working on for a while.

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... =25&t=4176

Note how this tree and yours are both budding from the calloused area at the chop site. Your tree would have been a good starter towards the broom style. The angled cut kind of works against that (at least in the short term) now so perhaps an upright (either formal or informal) could work. Working towards a formal upright it could become a broom later.

Which buds to retain will be determined by which style you choose to pursue

Norm