A very self-serving suggestion, given my current concept. However, I've noticed something I'm not entirely sure is intentional. In Herbalism, there's always that chance you'll cause some sort of explosion. This used to suck before, but now it's just debilitating. With so few permanent workstations around, this means that these explosions always destroy the workstations.
Casting protection from elements isn't helping the workstation, either. There's no way of magically warding them against the explosions. Combine the frequency of the explosions along with the high cost of replacement stations, and getting very far at all in herbalism becomes very difficult.
So I'd suggest more durable herbalism stations be made available, that aren't so easily destroyed, while costing perhaps twice as much. Either that, or increase the HP of the current stations.
I would rather add more permanent herbalism spots. Suggestions for locations are welcome.
Spiderweb caves. Growing Chamber in the Machine. Keeper caves in Lowerdark.
Dark Lake, along the shore- mud pots and stuff. Special muds
Somewhere deep in the ruins of Blue Mushrooms. Secret entrance to the bellows, where a new druid grove slowly prepares to grow again.
Shroomstalk Forest managed to grow a new site often used by wildlings to work upon herbalism.
Thomas finally finalized his Bone Chamber! For a small fee, he allows alchemists to use it in order to go on with their studies in chemical mixtures.
Loblobliiiblop has a cave of magical runes and wardings where in the center was prepared a placid pool. Into it it's possible to make several mixtures and combination of reagents often used in alchemy.
In the top of the Spire, there is an abandoned nook where some old hag used to have a cauldron. Depending on the change of the Underdark Winds, the Cauldron would be better suited to herbalism or to alchemy. You need some oil and zurkhwood in order to make it bubble although.
Another Cauldron can be found in the Mound of Magnatz, for a fee the Chieftain would allow usage of it for alchemical procedures as well.
OH... and cooking places!
We could have an abandoned goblin pot in the "Flooded Cave" or maybe in one of the abandoned houses you could have an ancient deep gnome apparatus.
I think that it might be as interesting to have a cooking cauldron somewhere in the webbed caves... spider themed of course.