Pay out the Poles at the plant (5)
I believe the answer is:
pansy
'the plant' is the definition.
(pansy is a kind of plant)
'pay out the poles' is the wordplay.
'out' is an insertion indicator.
'the poles' becomes 'ns' (North and South poles).
'pay' going around 'ns' is 'PANSY'.
'at' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for pansy that I've seen before include "Heart's ease" , "Rich-coloured flower with summer and winter varieties" , "Bedding plant" , "Garden plant with large flowers of various colours" , "Rich-coloured viola" .)