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Hello, I just received a Juniper bonsai early as a Christmas gift. From everything I have read I understand I need to keep it outside, my concern is for the amount of sun it will receive due to my current living arrangements I can only keep it outside at one place which receives a lot of direct afternoon sunlight... should I make some sort of canopy so it will not receive this sunlight directly or will it be okay? Another concern is the temperature, I live in Pennsylvania, USA and it can get very cold in the winter and very warm during the summer, is there certain temperatures where I will need to intervene to keep it healthy?

Consider this like a bouquet of flowers. It is decorative but it is not meant to last. This has not got much to do with bonsai and its chances for long term survival are nil.

What you have is a procumbens juniper cutting in a pot, not a bonsai. It is sometimes called mallsai , and often sold as bonsai, especially around the holidays. Research that term and more on bonsai.
Concerning the sun & winter & your other concerns, definitely keep it outside. You could use an open styrofoam cooler to put your tree into. That may provide some shade and wind protection. Add some straw or mulch or packing peanuts around the pot, and that might help with winter. Even in PA.
Make sure both the cooler & your pot have drainage holes in them. Check water periodically to make sure it hasn't dried out. Trees are pretty hardy, but they still need water in the winter. Your biggest concern will be keeping the tree from drying out.
The opposite side of drying out is water-logging, which can also turn into a solid block of ice. If there are no holes in your pot, or it's plugged with glue, remedy that. Icy soil happens, but a solid Popsicle is not good.
Good luck

Thank you for your reply!

Its a shame they advertise these things as "bonsai" I will continue taking care of it however I would like an actual bonsai, do you have any suggestions as to where to retrieve one? I am most interested in perhaps a Ficus or another Juniper.

Hi Acre,

Realize that a true bonsai is a very different plant and pricewise unrealistic to start with. Do a bit of research before you start on bonsai. Most of the trees on fora like these are not actually true bonsai, but starter trees.
Ficus bonsai are hard to keep, unless you live in the tropics.

One other question, being a mallsai, do you believe it would benefit from repotting? I've been reading that many times the soils or lack of actual soil are less than ideal.

I really do appreciate the replies, I am new to this but I am young and very interested in making this a life time hobby so don't hesitate to direct me in the right direction.

4acre wrote: One other question, being a mallsai, do you believe it would benefit from repotting? I've been reading that many times the soils or lack of actual soil are less than ideal.

It is not a mallsai. Mallsai are cheap, mass-produced trees that have had at least some training. Your plant is nothing more than a cut off branch that grew new roots.
Treat it like any other young cutting, don't treat it like a bonsai.

Buy a book join a club

plant a seed ... and ... wait

It was cheap, it is a 名媛直播 for you, treat him like one. Enjoy the time to come, in 10 years you can say that was my first tree. Have fun and learn as much as you can with it.