I saw them today at a local nursery, and loved them. Can they be shaped to three to four trunks or less, like a small tree?

Yes! prune it like a small tree. That is the way I am pruning mine. If you you want to lower it some take out select limbs and stagger your cuts. That way you avoid the dome cut. No one comes near my ligustrum with a hedge trimmer. I planted my bush 8/9 years ago. It was fairly large, maybe 30 gallon pot? Anyway I am now able to hang some of my hoyas from the tree. You should start looking around your neighborhood and you will see other ligustrum grown in this manner...at least that is true around here.

check out this link Here is a link that might be useful: National arboretum crape myrtle photo gallery

I bought from them. I have very mixed emotions about it. The owner is 100% unresponsive. I spoke with a lady named Emily, who did help me replace 12 plants that didn't come back. I ordered the bulk package in November, which was probably too late. When they didn't come back, I emailed a billion times with no result. (I hate to talk on the phone.) When I finally called and got someone (October, the following year, she got me organized with replacements. A few of them have come back. Probably 6 have not. Ironically, I'm not dissatisfied with my experience because she was so quick to do what she needed to do. The fact that some didn't return I figure was the luck of the draw so late in the year. I have not contacted them to see if they'll replace those that didn't come back a 2nd time, since I doubt they will. I also don't care that much, since I can try rooting cuttings when they're a tiny bit larger. And no, their color reports are as subjective as any one else's. If you haven't seen one yourself, I've learned I won't buy it -- unless they claim it's white. My idea of red seems to mean dark pink (Victor and Tonto) to many other people. My idea of purple or magenta seems to mean lilac (Catawba) to others as well. Tuscaroara seems to be the one true agreement in that it's a beautiful watermelon color. Remember, just because you haven't heard of a 6'' CM doesn't mean someone hasn't developed one. I just today bought a 'White Chocolate, which has burgundy foliage and (hopefully) white blossoms. I would have told you CMs didn't come with that color leaf. Now I'm just looking for a 'Burgundy Cotton' to compliment it! Christine