Problem is, I have no idea what kind of pruning would be helpful. NONE ...NADA ...ZILCH... zero ... [except probably root pruning, see below] put down the shears and step away ... agree per above.. plant it and do nothing for 3 years ... every leaf is a food making machine ... and if.. on a RECENT transplant.. you go cutting off the food making machines.. how will it vigorously grow the roots it needs .. now.. check the pix at the link ... you will be hard pressed to find a plant with a single straight leader .. you guys are thinking about enforcing a preconceived notion of how it should look ... why??? this mag. is more of a shrub.. not a tree ... and i suggest you let it be what it is supposed to be... its a lot easier ... lol ... if you want a more tree like mag .. then return this one .. and get the type you want ... this is one of my faves.. just bulletproof up here in my z5 ... and after 10 years.. still only about a 4 by 4 foot shrub ... i was kinda startled by the pix at the link .. they are much bigger down south.. go figure on that ... early bloom .. mucho flowers .. a joy ... that pot looks severely root bound.. i dont know if i would have chosen that plant due to the two huge surface roots ... if you dont know what to do about that.. ask .. PROPER PLANTING , WATERING and MULCHING will be very helpful ... good luck .. try not to love it to death ... ken Here is a link that might be useful: link

I smelled it in an Indian grocery store shelf once and it had zero smell at that point in time. That said, fragrance can be a function of many things including our nose so who knows. It appears that there are products that can enhance fragrance and flavor. One such product is marketed by Plagron as Sugar Royal in Europe and Royal Rush appears to be the US version. It is supposed to have amino acids/protein hydrolysates that enhance resins thereby increasing fragrance and flavor. How I Fertilize My Balcony Garden - What Fertilizers Are And Do You Really Need Them? - YouTube at 13.25 or so.

I planted a 'Royal Star' almost 10 yrs ago when it was just a twig. It is in a fairly dry site and left pretty much to its own devices as it's in a isolated corner of the garden. For the first few years the flowers seemed insignificant and I was slightly disappointed, especially to the lack of scent. However the last 2 or 3 years, it's been gathering steam and last spring the flowers were very lovely, just smothering the entire tree. The fragrance was very pleasant - light but definitely there. It was so pretty, I was inspired to rejuvenate that corner of the garden and put in an entirely new bed. The tree is now about 5' tall & 4' wide - I'm sure its small size is due to the very dry soil in summer, as well as the fact that I've never amended the soil. In fact, it looks rather nice, like a bonsai specimen. On the other hand, my neighbour has a similar tree - m. stellata but I cannot be sure it's a 'Royal Star'- and it's more like 15'high. I gave it a very light pruning for shape - heck, I might even throw a bit of compost on it this winter.

Looks like it behaves the way a Jane Magnolia does....in that the Jane blooms in the spring BEFORE it puts on leaves, and then just a little after it leafs out.