Hibberd's first gardening book was "The Town Garden" (1855), which described his own garden in Pentonville and advised novices how to start gardening. The same year he had already published "Brambles and Bay Leaves", a book of essays on science and natural history, largely based on articles he had previously written for magazines or on lectures he had given. These were followed by three books on aquariums, another enduring interest for early scientists, who were fascinated with the complexities of preserving living things in water and how oxygen was used. By 1856 Hibberd had moved to Tottenham, further north in London, and there began to keep a variety of aquatic creatures, birds and bees. These experiences led to his best known book, "Rustic Adornments for Homes of Taste". The book was so successful that a second edition followed in 1857, and in 1858 his publishers, Groombridges, invited him to start a monthly magazine for amateur gardeners, "The Floral World and Garden Guide". With the "Floral World", Hibberd proved himself to be one of the first successful writers for amateur gardeners. He encouraged correspondence and discussion, answered queries and encouraged local amateurs to write for him. He began to publish a series of books on every aspect of gardening and reported on his own experiments in trying out different varieties of plants. He became particularly interested in the problem of potato blight which had caused the Irish famine, developing his own method of growing potatoes on tiles to combat the disease.