Symbolism in decorative motifs

As I have been searching for elements to add to my "collages" on Plexi, I have become very interested in the symbolism in decorative motifs, specifically in flowers. I feel this is very relevant to the Japanese culture I am trying to represent-- the Japanese have traditionally been very closely connected to nature, beginning with the first major religion of Japan: Shintoism. This was a religion that was created solely within Japan, unlike the other current popular religions in Japan such as Buddhism which was derived from India and China.
Shintoism directly involves the worship and recognition of nature, and those who follow Shintoism believe that each entity in nature, whether animate or not, contains a living spirit called kami. The main deity within Shintoism is Ameterasu, who represents the sun. Though this religion is not as widely practiced after the rise Buddhism, its influence continues to pervade Japanese society, as I said, through a love of and respect for nature.
The Japanese people believe that nature, such as plants, are representative of human life and often utilize the symbolism within art (such as kacho, bird and flower motifs). I think these beliefs are best represented through Ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arrangement. There is also a so-called "language of flowers" called hanakotoba, in which each type of flower represents an aspect of human life such as love, sincerity etc. The theme of nature is also very relevant to me because my family were farmers, which became an activity that stayed with them for the rest of their lives. I am currently researching both hanakotoba and ikebana through books and internet resources and attempting to better understand and use these symbols within my work.
On a side-note, after speaking to Kristina, I have also become interested in the idea of showing the panels of Plexi standing in the same arrangement as Japanese screens (byobu).