You should be able to grow them in containers as well. This is actually the recommended method when one needs to amend the soil to change the bloom colors. The only thing to consider is the size at maturity. Some hydrangeas get quite large so start with one that is between 3x3 and 5x5 to get some experience.

I grow thirty or so in containers so I can put them under the house every year. Some I have had in containers for 15 or so years. They do fine as long as the container is big enough. They will topple over when they get bigger if you put them in a windy area. They don,t seem to get any taller than 4 feet or so in my twenty gallon containers. But that might be do in part to the breakage I get every sping and fall moving them under the house then back out.