High Fantasy // Human experiments based on a seed that only grows in living humans. Read about 19 years ago.

[Aran]

I've been trying to remember a kinda trashy fantasy book I read when I was a teen. I've sadly read so many of those back then that I sometimes start mixing them up but I'm fairly certain that this exists. It was from my local library and I'm pretty sure the copy was already quite grimmy so I'm assuming it's something from the 90ties or older.

Things I think I remember from that book:
-A city with strong walls and defense.
-Some kind of garden atop the main castle where a witch/scientist? was growing some kind of seed that only grows in "planted" humans. So people that are put in the ground with their heads sticking out.
- Pretty sure the witch/ scientist had a female apprentice.
-Most of these "plants" die but there is one man that survives (and has vines/roots growing out of him?)
-The country is at war with a monsters or other country and the witch/scientist needs to travel to some remote location
-They bring the man along but I don't remember if it's just to continue the experiment or if he's needed for something.

It ends up being quite tropey fantasy with body horror elements.

[Rainbowheart]

Was the witch/scientist the main character?

Male or female, age?

[Aran]

Rainbowheart wrote: "Was the witch/scientist the main character?

Male or female, age?"

Good question.

I believe they were female and a bit older.

I think there were several POVs and one of them was a man that was used in the experiment. Another was probably the witch/scientist or maybe their apprentice.