Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced “Bouquet,” of course) is best known for her obsession with refinement, elegance, and social status in the classic British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances. She goes to great lengths to project an image of upper-class sophistication, from her candlelight suppers to her elaborate phone greetings.

But beneath her airs and graces, Hyacinth harbors an unexpected fondness for plants, nature, and, ironically, the very lower-class people she so desperately tries to avoid.

Her contradictions make her one of television’s most fascinating and hilarious characters. While she is desperate to be seen as aristocratic, her passions often betray a subconscious appreciation for simpler, more grounded pleasures.

One of Hyacinth’s greatest prides is her perfectly maintained garden. She insists on having a well-kept, elegant outdoor space, often using it as another way to demonstrate her supposed high-class tastes.

She takes immense pleasure in discussing flower arrangements, proper gardening techniques, and seasonal blooms, as if her knowledge of horticulture elevates her social standing.

Her obsession with flowers, particularly roses, reflects her desire to cultivate beauty and perfection in every aspect of her life. A pristine garden symbolizes refinement, good taste, and order—things she believes are crucial in establishing her status.

But on a deeper level, Hyacinth’s love for plants and nature hints at a side of her that finds genuine joy in simple, earthy pleasures.

Despite her insistence on living as a lady of refinement, she is often seen tending to plants with genuine enthusiasm, watering flowers, or commenting on their growth. Unlike her social aspirations, which frequently lead to frustration and embarrassment, her connection to nature appears to bring her a rare form of peace.

Hyacinth may spend most of her time distancing herself from her working-class family—Onslow, Daisy, and Rose—but deep down, she exhibits an odd, almost unconscious affection for the very people she claims to look down upon.

She constantly boasts about her wealthier sister, Violet, who has “a Mercedes, a sauna, and room for a pony,” yet she finds herself drawn back to the chaotic world of Daisy and Onslow. Whether she’s forced to visit their home or dealing with their phone calls, Hyacinth is always on the edge of disowning them but never truly does.

She relishes the opportunity to complain about them, yet something keeps her tethered to them.

Despite her horror at Onslow’s slovenly lifestyle, she often engages with him in a way that suggests a deep-rooted familiarity and, dare we say, fondness. Onslow, with his philosophical musings and laid-back attitude, is everything Hyacinth tries to suppress in herself.

His refusal to chase social status stands in stark contrast to her desperate ambitions. And yet, Hyacinth never completely severs ties with him or Daisy—perhaps because a part of her enjoys their company more than she’s willing to admit.

Another contradiction in Hyacinth’s personality is her admiration for “respectable” working-class people who show dedication to their craft. She looks down on untidiness and laziness but appreciates gardeners, waiters, and shop assistants who present themselves well.

She enjoys polite conversations with florists, delivery men, and anyone who reinforces her idea of a well-ordered society.

Hyacinth also holds a certain admiration for the British countryside, which is often associated with old-money aristocracy. She dreams of having a grand estate with rolling gardens, but at the same time, she takes genuine pleasure in nature itself, from commenting on the beauty of local flowers to fantasizing about high-class outdoor events.

Hyacinth Bucket is, at her core, a woman trapped between two worlds. She wants to be seen as sophisticated and wealthy, yet she cannot fully detach herself from her working-class roots.

Her love for plants and nature suggests an appreciation for life’s simpler pleasures, even though she insists on dressing them up as symbols of refinement. Her continued interactions with her lower-class relatives hint at an underlying affection she refuses to acknowledge.

Perhaps, deep down, Hyacinth knows that the world she is chasing is unattainable. The aristocracy she admires will never fully accept her, and the image she presents is always at risk of being shattered.

Yet, in her love for nature, in the joy she finds in tending to flowers or engaging with hardworking people, she reveals a side of herself that is far more genuine than the social persona she works so hard to maintain.

Hyacinth Bucket may be one of the greatest comic characters ever written because she is so full of contradictions. She wants class, but she loves nature. She looks down on the lower class, but she keeps them close.

She pretends to be above it all, but at times, she seems happiest in the simplest moments.

As Keeping Up Appearances continues to be loved by new generations, Hyacinth remains an endlessly entertaining enigma—an ambitious social climber who, in truth, might just find more joy among flowers and family than in the high-class world she chases.