Crossword Genius

Lush plant in fresh soil from the east (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

toper

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'lush' is the definition.
(both can mean an alcoholic)

'plant in fresh soil from the east' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'from' could be 'o' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'o' is found in the answer.
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is found in the answer.
'east' could be 'e' (abbreviation) and 'e' is found in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for toper that I've seen before include "boozer" , "Trope for habitual drinker" , "Soak" , "Drinker, imbiber" , "Lush" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times and The Sunday Times.
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