With some shade, it will do extremely well. It is not native to the MS Gulf coastal region, but can be found as far south as Baton Rouge and in the FL Panhandle. I grow the cultivar, 'Annabelle' under Oak and Sourwood trees, with no summer sun, and they bloom very well. There is a pink flowered version of the arborescens' cousin, radiata (SIlver Leaf Hydrangea), and I understand the "powers that be" are considering the development of a pink flowered 'Annabelle'(a 'Blushing Anna'?)
I used to travel a lot in that section of MS ICW my job and after seeing what a hurricane did to Mobile & vicinity in the late 60's, I can imagine the devastation you are facing.
Good Luck and Many Blessings!
RB

Thanks, RB!
No words can describe the miles and miles of total ruin that's on the MS Gulf coast. Fortunately, I'm 35 miles inland, and I've got a well built house with a good metal roof, so, even though we had 7 or eight trees leaning on it, we only had minor damage to one corner. I asked the builders to build me a strong house when we built it in 1996, because I lived close to the beach during Hurricane Camille, a category 5 storm in 1969, and had extensive damage due to winds and 5' of gulf water. Katrina damaged that same house so badly it had to be razed, sad, because it's where I lived when my children were little.
I know that h. arborescens isn't native to my exact area, but its native range is close, so I thought I'd give it a try. I think I may just stick to the species, even though there are cultivars that have much bigger flower heads. I'm mostly using trees and shrubs that are native to this area, but I've snuck in a few things that are just native to areas close to here.
From your zone, it looks like you're in north or central Georgia, so your growing conditions aren't really the same as mine. I love Georgia! My sister and her husband moved to Augusta a while back - the dogwoods are spectacular in the spring!
Sherry