Аннотация:In this paper, private gardens are portrayed as spaces and tools of aristocratic passion for plant collecting, of contention within the gentry, as well as of scientific professionalisation for botanists. Focusing on the Russian Empire, this paper traces the early history of a botanical collection as part of the Russian elite’s culture that encouraged amateur patrons to invest in expeditions, gardens, and professionals to manage these projects. Young graduates of the European universities, who started working at private botanical institutions, could later successfully apply for academic positions. Circulation of specimens had developed as a key element of the botanical collection, and the basis for networking of professionals and amateurs around the world. This paper argues that collecting plant objects became an important means of ‘power games’ and even ‘plant diplomacy’. These new responsibilities tremendously increased the botanists’ status as experts. A diverse group of personalities, such as the Empress Catherine II, the King of England George III, mine industrialist Prokophy Demidov, aristocrat Alexei Razumovsky, president of the Royal Society Joseph Banks, academician Peter Pallas - all shared the passion for botanical collecting and were engaged in power games at different levels, using botany as an instrument of influence.