Washington, DC is famous for its cherry blossoms, but the the magnolias are just as great. I’ve found that in this area, more than in other places I’ve lived, people go out of their way to plant cherry, weeping cherry, dogwood, and magnolia trees, all of which sport beautiful blossoms at slightly different times during the spring.
The magnolia trees usually reach full bloom a week and a half before the cherry trees, and just a few miles of latitude make a big difference. The magnolias in the downtown areas of DC were in full bloom early last week, but they just got to that point here yesterday. The cherry trees in DC will hit full bloom in a few more days.
Dogwoods are a little more sporadic. I’ve seen several that look like they’re in full bloom, but I have a small one in my front yard that barely has buds on it, and didn’t hit full bloom until the last week of April last year.