Emulate local mountain scenes with their rocks and wind swept conifers.

You could visit the Japanese Garden at Denver Botanic Gardens. Take a notepad to make a list of what you like. It sounds like a nice project!

Definitely check out the Botanic Gardens. I also find Pinterest to be a great resource for a never-ending selection of photos for inspiration.

DBG might be quite the trip for someone with Montrose in the name lol. But, if you're going to be on this side of the mountain and you have time, definately a good idea to head that way and get a feeling for what you would like to do. You could probably look up pictures of it online as well.

Hardscape, such as walkways, retaining walls, and structures can be labor intensive and expensive, but will give the garden the "backbone" and push the landscape into the direction you want.

Also remember that when we are talking about a particular "style" of landscape, in this case Japanese, we are not necessarily talking about specific plant selection. In reality, there's not a lot of plants from the land of the rising sun will survive and thrive in the arid steppe climate of the Front Range or Western Slope. Useing microclimates and thoughtful placement can help us "push the envelope" in some cases, but in general what I think will be the most successful approach would be to study the texture, arrangement, and form of the style of garden you want and recreate that useing plants that are more appropriate for the climate and location.

Read David Slawson's book, "Secret Teachings in the art of Japanese Gardens". Spend a lot of time looking at mountains, trees, waterfalls, rockslides, streams, etc. and don't be in a hurry to get started. I think it's fun to use things you find in nature anything from bonsai trees to rocks and driftwood. Have fun, it's a great journey.

Bill