Handy gear to manage a flowering shrub (9)
I believe the answer is:
hydrangea
'a flowering shrub' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'handy gear to manage' is the wordplay.
'to manage' indicates an anagram (I've seen 'managed' mean this).
'handy'+'gear'='handygear'
'handygear' is an anagram of 'HYDRANGEA'.
(Other definitions for hydrangea that I've seen before include "Common garden plant" , "Showy flower" , "Plant's" , "Shrub - garden hay (anag)" , "Flower you might find in garden hay, oddly" .)