Ball thrown by essayist may be found in bed (7)
I believe the answer is:
lobelia
'be found in bed' is the definition.
(found in a flower bed)
'ball thrown by essayist' is the wordplay.
'ball thrown' becomes 'lob'.
'by' says to put letters next to each other.
'essayist' becomes 'elia' (pseudonym of Charles Lamb).
'lob'+'elia'='LOBELIA'
'may' is the link.
(Other definitions for lobelia that I've seen before include "Boil ale to get the flower" , "Oilable (anag)" , "Bloomer" , "Popular garden flower" , "something flowery" .)