Most likely it was a juniper. As Jay said, these trees need a winter rest period. I have a pair of junipers and a siberian elm that I have had for about 14 years. They spend about 3 months in the cooler in the greenhouse each winter. Just took them out last week. The elm is starting to leaf as of today. I would suggest a fig as a good choice if you want to try again. I have one that my sister gave me from Kroger's about 5 years ago. Don't panic when it loses all its leaves. They go dormant based on dryness and will releaf a month or so later if kept watered. A good choice of stock is the last week of sales for the season at Kmart. You are down to the real hardy stuff and the price is next to nothing. Shape does not matter since you will probably mess with it anyway. Don't try to train it for a couple of years until it gets established in a pot, preferably one larger than your final one. Then have fun. There are a lot of good sites on the web for advice.
Bob Underwood, in sunny ND.