Establishment of the Cape Institute of Micropropagation
After leaving Kirstenbosch in 2000, she started her own disa collection and private laboratory,
Cape Institute of Micropropagation at her home in Barrydale, on the edge of the Little Karoo. Here she has pioneered new methods for growing disas successfully, as well a breeding new hybrids.
Species recovery, Disa barbata – one of South Africa’s most threatened orchids
2001 Hildegard was approached by Dr Benny Bytebier (Co-Chair of the Afro-Madagascar Regional IUCN/SSC Orchid Specialist Group and member of the IUCN/SSC Orchid Specialist Group) to assist with the in vitro propagation of Disa barbata.
2002 marked the start of an on-going yearly volunteer project to mark and monitor any plants which are only visible at flowering time. Since then seed has been collected and grown on in vitro and finally this year the first flowering from an in vitro seedling of this rare decidiuous disa was achieved.
Propagation of African wild edible orchids (Chikanda) in Tanzania
Since then Hildegard has been approached by Dr Otieno, (Dept. Medical Botany, Plant Breeding and Agronomy, Institute of Traditional Medicine, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, P.O.Box 65001 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania), to assist with setting up a propagation protocol for the orchids being destroyed by chikanda harvesting methods.
She also maintains a nursery at home where she grows plants suitable for gardeners in the Little Karoo.
Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW)
Hildegard together with a fellow botanist, Flora Cameron, make up the CREW team for the Barrydale area. CREW is a volunteer monitering team under the auspices of the Botanical Society, South Africa. Regular field observations are made to moniter any rare plants in the area
Tuition on in vitro propagation of orchids
April 2000 Hildegard was invited to give a 3 week long tuition course on in vitro propagation for
the Ministry of Agriculture in Mauritius. General laboratory practices, media preparation, plant
initiation, in vitro culturing and hardening off of orchids and other plants was addressed.
March 2017 Hildegard was invited to give an intense one week tuition course on practical laboratory
practices, green pod sowing and in vitro culturing of chikanda orchids for the Chikanda
orchid Project at the Copperbelt University, Zambia, - funded by the Darwin Initiative and
managed by Ruth Bone, (Kew), Prof Vinya, (Copperbelt University) and Nicholas Whiteman.
