Prickly plant in a container like this (8)
I believe the answer is:
acanthus
'prickly plant' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'a container like this' is the wordplay.
'container' becomes 'can' (can is a kind of container).
'like this' becomes 'thus' (I've seen this before).
'a'+'can'+'thus'='ACANTHUS'
'in' is the link.
(Other definitions for acanthus that I've seen before include "Prickly-leaved shrub" , "A staunch sort of plant?" , "Growth" , "Leaf, sometimes carved on furniture" , "Plant with prickly leaves" .)