Islands of green are showing up right smack dab in the middle of town. I've imagined being here scores of times since 1962, when The Drifters first invited me. At the time, I was a self-conscious sophomore "guiding" some unremembered girl around the gym floor. I plotted my escape to the romantic rooftop of their song. When this old world starts getting me down; And people are just too much for me to face; I climb way up to the top of the stairs; And all my cares just drift right into space. This morning, I'm living that fantasy. I am in the Battle House Renaissance Hotel's rooftop garden, and there is no care in sight. I checked. Sweet! The hotel's general manager, Margo Gilbert, had a dream of doing a Gulf Coast take on elegant Manhattan sky gardens. She pictured guests lounging in a lush, tropical rainforest atmosphere, with a hilltop view of the Port City. Heroman Plant Services Co., of Baton Rouge, made it happen. In the process, the firm captured the Plantscape Industry Alliance's 2008 Award of Excellence. The tangible product of Gilbert's vision is stunning. A river of gray pavers, bounded by single rows of red, flows across the surface. Pergolas shade strategic tables and chairs in discrete outdoor living spaces. Three varieties of palms grasp for the sky from planters gushing asparagus ferns. Pools of seasonal flowers color the periphery among stands of bamboo, red oleander and split-leaf philodendron. Confederate jasmine rushes unrestrained up latticework and any vertical feature it can snare. Water sounds spill over a wooden privacy fence. The structure separates the public terrace from the intimate private garden next to the presidential suite. The Battle House gardens are one of Alabama's first efforts to contribute to an international trend. For a variety of reasons, government agencies, businesses and homeowners are turning rooftops into green spaces. Gardens in the sky run the gamut from simple containers to roofs entirely surfaced with living plants. Aesthetic asset Rooftop gardens add to property value simply by looking good. They claim unused and unrecognized urban spaces as verdant oases, far above the noise and pollution of the hustling crowd. These hideaways are truly private. There is no risk of dogs or neighborhood kids wandering across the yard. Heat tamer Do you ever notice how hot it gets at mall parking lots? This happens because of something called the urban heat island effect. Parking lots and traditional roofs of tar and gravel soak up sunshine for hours, reaching temperatures much higher than the ambient air. This heat radiates back into the environment. An area with lots of buildings can increase local air temperature by as much as five to seven degrees. Rooftop gardens help suppress this phenomenon. Temperatures on top of the Battle House are often several degrees cooler than at ground level. Energy efficiency Adding plants on a roof provides natural insulation from heat, cold and noise. Buildings stay cooler in summer and warmer in winter, lowering energy cost. In addition, properly installed coverings of vegetation can double the life expectancy of a roof. Environmental upgrade The EPA has recommended rooftop gardening for years. These plots are green steppingstones that bridge a highly developed area. They provide temporary habitat for semiannual migrations of birds and butterflies. Plants reoxygenate the air as their biological filtering systems cleanse toxins and break them down. Green roofs retain storm water and reduce runoff. Rainwater can be collected for reuse within the garden. Rooftop greenery is both smart and trendy, and it's planting time in Mobile. On Washington Avenue, a company decked its third-floor roof for Mardi Gras and is discretely inquiring about who designed the Battle House gardens. A Saint Michael Street apartment tower is upgrading the foliage on its lofty community terrace. A green-crowned Pensacola restaurant is considering a Mobile offshoot. These and others share a dream of transforming that place up on the roof. Photos by Dennis Holt *Get Outdoors via your computer every Monday with mobilebaymag.com's resident Outdoor blogger, 6 Hawks. This week, he introduces you to the Loon.