Val Bourne on county highlights chosen by George Plumptre

Gardens are so much more than collections of plants. They are all about atmosphere and setting and who better to describe and capture the essence of country house gardens than George Plumptre, now chief executive of the National Gardens Scheme?

His new book, The English Country House Garden, will be out in early September, published by Frances Lincoln with pictures by Marcus Harpur. It includes three Oxfordshire gardens — Broughton Castle, Broughton Grange and Rousham.

George grew up at Goodnestone Park in Kent, one of four sons of a keen gardener called Lady Margaret FitzWalter. The house is popular with Jane Austen aficionados because it was once owned by her brother Edward, and it’s easy to imagine Jane walking through the single- track lanes that still exist in this rural backwater. The 15-acre garden, though, is a modern affair, created by Margaret with two members of staff since 1960. It’s popular with overseas visitors, being closer to Paris than to much of England, but despite it being voted Britain’s sixth favourite garden in a recent Daily Telegraph poll and was a Country Life finalist for best garden in 2009.

Margaret is one of my dearest gardening friends and I can visualise her now, knocking up cakes for the tea room before a busy afternoon. Aged over 90, she is still dedicated to her garden, and loves to share it.

George’s book concentrates on 25 gardens chosen to explain the dynamic story of England’s gardens from five hundred years ago to the present day.

He explores the Tudor grandeur of Montacute, moves on the Arts and Craft style by describing Rodmarton Manor near Tetbury in Gloucestershire and then captures modern prairie planting at Scampston Hall in North Yorkshire. Oxfordshire does well. Broughton Castle is listed under Country House Garden Ideals. Rousham under Unfolding History and Broughton Grange under Contemperory Designs. I once led a German garden tour and was mortified to see that Broughton Grange was listed, but not the fairytale Broughton Castle. So I went off piste and led the coach down towards the church close to Broughton Castle, whereupon the flustered owner Lord Saye & Sele rushed up the path, quickly putting on his jacket, because he thought he had forgotten about a tour.

Broughton Castle, near Banbury, is a modest garden in a stunning setting, enclosed by a moat, and far too good just to be seen in Shakespeare in Love. Joseph Fiennes (a relative of Lord Saye & Sele) falls from the balcony in that film. It has romance in spades and Simon Jenkins gave it five stars in his book England’s Thousand Best Houses. It was one of only 20 homes to achieve this.

Please check broughtoncastle.com or call 01295 276070.

Rousham, between Banbury and Oxford, is equally memorable because it’s one of the oldest landscape gardens laid out by William Kent to resemble a snapshot. Kent preempted Capability Brown’s grand designs, involving lakes and reshaped contours, and used statuary and garden buildings. It’s perfectly judged too, with not too much to clutter the eye except the Old English longhorn cattle. This rare survivor has moved on though, in other ways, and the walled garden has a pigeon house, espalier apple trees and box-lined rose beds.

Rousham is open every day of the year from 10am, with last admission at 4.30pm, so there are no excuses! (www.rousham.org/01869 347110).

Finally George Plumptre (such an English name!) tackles the modern Broughton Grange, laid out by Tom Stuart-Smith for banker Stephen Hester (open for the National Garden Scheme). The outward-looking Walled Garden, the organic box parterre with the buxom curves and huge square stepping stones are thoroughly contemporary, but it works brilliantly because it flows into the landscape as effectively as ‘Capability’ Brown’s designs. Some things never change.