you are watching this thing in the wrong way... this packages are for the new tile sets and the magincia bazar, the rest is secondary.
Excepting, of course, that it's an entire package. The reason for all of that "secondary" stuff is for the people who could give a rats ass about the "primary" housing tiles. In other words, the "secondary" items that you care less about than the "primary" housing tiles may, in fact, be the "primary" reason that someone else might purchase the pack.
The main mistake is consider the whole expansion in real $ vs game advantages...
Because if you compare real money to a game you always lose money
Err...
I'm not comparing real money vs. game advantages... and... uh... your second sentence should be taken out and shot.
What I'm saying is that to implement an additional restrictive system that is a primary reason someone might purchase aforementioned "mini-booster" is a silly way to go. I mean, okay, I'm sure there's still 2 or 3 gardeners out there per shard who don't also have their own alchemist, and so this planter might cost the sales of potions in a minor handful of cases... but most potion vendors aren't selling to plant growers, they're selling to PvPers, and even then, rarely. I mean, if you go check "The Site that Must NOT be Named," you'll see that potions aren't exactly a huge sales point in UO anymore.
That might have something to do with the proliferation of alchemists on people's alts.
So let's start from the beginning of the logical idea:
1) IF you buy this is because you want the tile set and/or the pet shop.
2) by having the rustic dlc, you earn a garden bed
3) You usually grow some plants for make dyes or just for deco and you.
4) Growing rare colors plants or peculiar deco ones is a waste of resources because the plant give you nothing back and you spend time and potions.
You can stop at step one, because your primary assumption is faulty. Everything from there is pointless deliberation from a faulty standpoint. Not everyone would consider buying the "mini-booster" because of the housing tiles and/or the pet shop.
If you don't need tile set or pet shop... well just don't buy the dlc

If you don't grow plant, just sell the garden bed to someone else...
If you grow plants only for resources, sell the garden bed to someone else
In other words you don't have a real argument, you just wanted to respond because your fingers needed exercise.
Got it.
However we are focusing too much on the garden bed and pet shop... but I'd really like to see more info about the distillery
Did it ever occur to you that people might focus on the aspect of the booster that they themselves are interested in? To me, the garden bed might have been a reason to purchase the garden bed as an individual piece if it were useful -- of course, that was before I knew how they'd function and that they were part of this pack. Still, I'm amazed to see how badly they've implemented it.
Others are, indeed, focusing on the housing tiles, and that is why there are also complaints of a lack of new doors and the missing wooden staircase -- which, frankly, is hysterical. But then, since they have staircase railings in the housing system that have been useless for the entirety of the housing system, this is my not so shocked face.
For example:
How can I get the yeast?
There is something new about alcool?
How many barrel you're gonna make to mature?
I suspect the system will be a flash in the pan of what it could have been... but at least it's something, I guess.