Do you happen to have pictures of the area? How about size? Do you know what size tree you would want or even what size crapes you would be planting? You mentioned a tree and shrubs. Are you considering both or just one or the other? Also, what are the conditions like in the area you are considering (sunny, partial sun, moist, dry, etc)?

I've found myself admiring a medium-lavender crape called "Yuma" the most. It blooms an extremely long time (June-September) and is easier on the eyes than a lot of the brighter colored CMs. Planted in groups they're not overwhelming.
I personally have fallen in love with Japanese maples, both red- and green-leaved ones. They grow slowly and a lot do not get much bigger than shrubs; I think they look fabulous underplanted any tree.
My husband planted "Adam's Needle" yuccas in clumps next to our crape myrtles and they have those huge white blooms in June. The yuccas' roots go down so far, I guess that's why they don't have problems competing with the crapes' shallow root systems.

I'm not a big fan of crepe myrtle however I have seen some that have quite a bit of winter interest. I'm going to assume you are in northern GA, and assume you have thought about what the area is going to look like in winter (however short it may be).

That being said, if you have the room for it, perhaps a tall, thin evergreen or three nearby will make a nice match and provide some winter interest?

With their long bloom, they are sure to be a treat most of the year.

Otherwise it's just a matter of what your soil can handle well and what you like, as long as it won't interfere with the CM you choose.

Brandon - I will get a picture on here shortly just to give you an idea of the area. I was considering just myrtles originally but then i began to wonder if 5 crape myrtles would be boring by themselves. I have always planned to incorporate some shrubs, and still do, but was just toying with the idea of adding a couple of other trees. As far as size goes, I guess something comparable to the crapes. The area is on the south west corner of my lot and receives plenty of morning and mid day sun. Evening sun is blocked by the tall trees about 30 feet away to the west (wooded area).

Thanks for both responses so far.

Hogmanay,

Because i am really interested in the ideas of others, you lead me to ask...if you were me (and you were planting CM), what evergreen would you most likely consider? Thanks for the response.

Maybe a few Windmill palms?

Oops, I found out my neighbor's crape myrtles I thought were "Yuma" are "Muskogee". A bonus is it's highly mildew resisitant.

Wax Myrtle.
They're evergreen and cold hardy.
Becareful with the varieties of crepe myrtle you select they are not all completely hardy in your location.

I personally have fallen in love with Japanese maples, both red- and green-leaved ones. They grow slowly and a lot do not get much bigger than shrubs; I think they look fabulous underplanted any tree.

Not all Japanese maples will remain small or shrub-like - many get to be good sized trees and will only work as underplanting for much larger trees than most crape myrtles will ever be.

Camellias would be a nice evergreen choice. And offer a different bloom season from the crapes.

Suel, I have a row of 'Yuma' along my property line and I haven't been impressed with them. They flower very sporadically, nothing like the heavy flowering Muskogee. My concern was size as Muskogee gets pretty big and may get into power lines. Mine have been in the ground about 5 years, I'm going to give them a couple more years and if they don't start flowering more I may rip them out.

If I replace mine I may go with 'Catawba'.

jddawg

i think i would plant the CM in a loose circle or ellipse, leaving room for sunlight spots that can keep near full sun all day (once the CMs are formed how you like them).

to pick some taller, slender evergreens to mix in at what you'll consider the back, you could go with a simple american arborvite. the problem there is the CMs are fast and the AAs are slow.

another way to do it, i think, is randomly set out some fast growing evergreen like a thuja green giant at the "back" of your clump of CMs and perhaps throw in a japanese red maple or two in the "front."

i was just thinking that CMs in a group sort of need something to give them a little kick in the winter and fall. Any evergreen, even juniper shrubs would do that for you, but a mix of low and tall thin evergeens and something like a JRM for a fall splash would just set it off.

i guess i just see to many " clumps of CMs" in the suburban landscape of the SE.

i always think they're missing something....

Yeah, I goofed - I found out I meant Muskogee not Yuma - my bad. Those do get very large & bloom like crazy.
I have a Cataba, a very bright purple; had awesome red-orange fall color last year.
True, you do need to research what the mature size are of the myriads of Japanese maples available and select accordingly. The tiny ones I planted from World Plants were a bargain at $10 each, but I doubt they will grow much more than 10 feet in my lifetime (yep, I'm getting old haha).

treehugger...I have several crepes in the yard, some 20 to 25yrs, standard magenta color, I don't remember the name. Well, most of these bloom well except for a particular
tree. It grew well (20ft tall and 7"diameter base) but rarely bloomed and when it did it was very thin patches of flowers.
Last summer I finally did what I had been threatening to do for at least 10 years. When the others were in full bloom and this plant again didn't, I cut it to ground level. Low and behold, that same season, towards the end it had put up multiple 5ft shoots. I thinned them to the 3 largest and all three shoots bloomed more than I remember this tree ever blooming. If it continues to grow and bloom, I may keep it a while.

Since your threatening your Yumas, before you dig them out, maybe roll the dice and hack them back and see how they respond. At that point theres nothing to loose. I wish I would have done this at least 10 years ago.

I have mine trained as single trunked small trees (which has been difficult to do). They're about 10ft tall right now but if they don't start flowering better I just may take the chainsaw to them. ; )

The lavender ones are really the only ones I care for, those hot pink ones are just too bright for my taste.