Polly was known for her love of the classic style at a time when romantic gardens prevailed.

Her articles and lectures on garden design, along with the many open gardens held on her Red Hill property, were an inspiration to amateur and professional gardeners alike.

The garden received countless visitors from Australia and overseas and was featured many times on in the media.

Busloads of tourists were given a warm welcome on Scarborough Street by Polly and her husband Peter, who were genial hosts, willing to explain every detail of the history, culture and horticulture of their international gardens.

The grounds included a modern garden inspired by the Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, who Polly visited, with a feature mosaic wall created by Polly herself in the style of a chapel by Oscar Niemeyer.

There was a parterre garden with a statue from Florence; a miniature Chinese garden, based on the gardens of Suzhou; an Islamic garden with a stone courtyard, laid by Polly; and a Japanese garden with a pond and meditation house.

Polly arrived in Australia from the US with her husband and children as a migrant in 1967, already a published writer of humorous articles for the Philadelphia Bulletin, designer and owner of a formal rose garden open to the public, pastel portrait artist, and mother of four.

She delighted in her new life in Australia, expanding her creative endeavours to include the writing of three books: The World in My Garden, describing the making of her Canberra garden; To Save Their Heathen Souls, a collection of letters from her husband's missionary ancestors who travelled to China in the 19th century; and The Teetering Ladder, a novel set in World War II era Philadelphia.

She also wrote more than 50 articles for newspapers and magazines on garden history, travel, and family life.

One of her favourite pursuits was giving lectures to the Women's International Club of Canberra on garden history, explaining the intricacies of classic French gardens such as Versailles, Villandry, Vaux-le-Vicomte and the Spanish Alhambra.

Polly travelled to more than 40 countries with Peter, visiting both stately and small private gardens and collecting art, sculpture and ideas to bring back to her Canberra home.

Polly and Peter made an excellent team in the garden. Polly provided the design ideas and Peter undertook the required construction.

They were both tireless in carrying out garden maintenance. Peter pre-deceased Polly in Melbourne in 2011.

Polly is survived by a brother, Richard Pearson in Washington DC, four children: Peter Park Jr, Thomas Park, Lewis Park and Polly Keightley, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.