That's a common mop head hydrangea. Or H macrophylla. The color is affected by the ph in the soil. The colors of some H. macrophylla ÃÂ flowers are affected by the relative availability of aluminum ions in the soil. Acidic soils with a pH of less than 5.5 produce blue flowers; soils with a pH greater than 5.5 product pink flowers.ÃÂ Most hydrangeas thrive in rich, porous, somewhat moist soils. Add compost to enrich poor soil. They prefer full sun in the morning, with some afternoon shade; however, many will grow and bloom in partial shade. This is especially true for the bigleaf hydrangeas (see Recommended Varieties below). ÃÂ Plant in spring or fall. Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and 2 to 3 times as wide. Set the plant in the hole and fill it half full with soil. Water. After water is drained, fill the rest of the hole with soil. Water thoroughly. Space multiple hydrangeas about 3 to 10 feet apart. For the first year or two after planting and during any drought, be sure hydrangeas get plenty of water. Leaves will wilt if the soil is too dry.

Depends what sort of a Zone 8, esh_ga. In my zone 8/9 they are extremely common and easy to grow. PNW has zone 8 areas, I believe, and I am pretty sure lilac grows there too. We don't know where the OP is situated or even if the pic was taken where they live.

Thanks! One of mine had a dead flower. I'm pretty sure you're right and they're bigleaf mopheads, assuming they're all the same type. We're right on the water so the hottest we ever get is mid 80s. I put three in a dryer area that gets sun til about 1pm at the latest and the other three in a moist area that gets sun til 3pm. Both are on slopes so they should drain well. Hopefully they'll be happy there.

Looks like one of Ryoji Irie's hybrids. Probably one of the You-Me series. Can't venture to guess which exact one, though. ;)