You could plant something under them. We used some boxwoods. Its kinda formal looking.

I have done the same thing several times. I usually pot them up for a year and then transplant them, but the last time we stuck one in the ground and it is now thriving. The leaves will wilt and fall off but do not despair because they will eventually come back. The one we planted in the ground got accidentally mowed three weeks again and it has sprung back healthier and bushier than ever.

Update.

All of these are doing great.I actually did four more making it a total of 12 crepe myrtles I dug up and transplanted..Buying 12 of these at lowes would have been well over $200 so I am prettty happy.Now I just need them to get big ..One other note is that the rocks made a great mulch. I mainly used them to help to keep the roots underneath from tipping since these were so top heavy. It actually kept the ground underneath cool which I really believe helped in the process.

Yes. Crepes are a first generation planting. Do not fail to simultaneously plant the slower growing and more unique plantings that will replace the commercial looking crepes at this time. Some plantings might require 10 years to become dominant and you cannot easily duplicate them.

I have no idea what you mean in that last statement, tricky. First generation planting? Slower growing and more unique plantings?

Crepes are kinda spindly and look best in association with other plants imo. A hedge for example might really set the crepes off but would take a long time to really fill in and be trimmed into some amazing shape. Or full canopy trees with crepe kept lower for a layered look with ever smaller plants under the crepes.

I am going for the 12-16 ft look with the tops pruned every year.Ive actually got 10 of these that big and love them.The whites and light purple ones are the faster growing ones..The reds and pinks are alot slower growers and not quite as big/broad as the white and purple ones..I learned how to prune them myself instead of "crepe murdering" them...Once they established like I wanted them I quit pruning them..Well this summer I had such big blooms that the tops started falling down from the top cause the thin branches couldnt hold the weight. It was fine but after a big rain they started doing this..So this year I will start pruning the tops again to prevent this.All these I transplanted are the white ones which will grow pretty fast.

8 yrs ago when I planted the big ones I did a white, dark pink and a purple about 20 ft apart.Did it again for 6 that looks like a rainbow when they bloom.Of course the white and purple always bloom first and then usually the dark pink begins a month later to form this rainbow look in my front yard. In a perfect world I wish they all would bloom the same time and I wish the dark pinks where as big/broad as the whites and purples but oh well. It still looks nice.

Does anybody else experience suckers growing/popping up everywhere?I have already dug up 12 suckers/small plants and transplanted them to other areas with SUCCESS.Now I have I have about 10-15 more scattered all over my yard..Whats crazy is I only have one dark red one.Its a very slow grower.I have had it about 8-10 years now.I noticed one of the suckers on the other side of my yard, not even close to the red one , is blooming dark red..What a SURPRISE this was.The place its growing I am not going to have to move it..I may start my own crepe myrtle nursery haha

Yes, a giant, ancient tree in our front yard has ruined my plan to make a bed around it & get rid of the tiny bit of lawn out there. I started part of it, and everywhere there is a root from the CM, suckers are coming up. It's been 3 years and they do not stop trying. Now I know why I never a cultivated bed around one.

To encourage them to grow and thrive, you might add a big circle of shredded hardwood mulch (or even woodchip) around each one. The mulch should not touch the bark, leave about 2 inches of space.

They'll also appreciate a good soaking with a hose during their first couple years. This is especially critical since their root systems are so small.

UPDATE.These are taking off!! Right now half of them have pretty white blooms..They will look great when all 11 are blooming at the same time.I planted 12 and only one died.I pulled on the dead one and its stuck to the ground good.Not sure what what happended.Now I have about 10 more suckers growing that I want to transplant over the next few days..I covered half my property line and now have more where I should have my whole property line lined up with white crepe myrtles.