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They may be getting too much nitrogen and not enough phosphorus. Nitrogen makes healthy green plants and leaves, but too much blocks blooming. Use a fertilizer higher in phosphorus or even a phosphorus only amendment, like bone meal, to get them to bloom. This article will help you: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/phosphorus-plant-growth.htm

Sounds like old man winter strikes again. Deep snow could have protected the lower buds while those higher on the plant were frozen. Kind of puzzled as to why the tops are flowering, though. Did you by any chance put some kind of protection on the tops of the bushes? Just to be sure, you might want to take some branch samples to the Extension Service to make sure there are no bugs or disease. This link will help you locate one: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/extension-search/

What you are seeing on the shrub is lichen. It is not the cause of the problem, but rather a symptom. They tend to attach to shrubs/trees that are sickly and unhealthy. This article will give you more information: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/fungus-lichen/treatment-tree-lichen.htm In regards to what may be wrong with the azalea, I would take a look at the roots. You may have some root rot or the shrub may simply be dying naturally. It may also be a fungus attacking the azalea, so you should go ahead and treat it with a fungicide, which will actually also get rid of the lichen.

It is most likely either sooty mold or sooty canker. Here is more information on these diseases: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/tree-disease-identification-sooty-canker-fungus.htm, https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/disease/how-to-get-rid-of-sooty-mold.htm

The marshmallowey things sound like azalea leaf gall. This article tells you about prevention and treatment: http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/factsheets/azaleagall.pdf
This article includes a section on leaf spots, and pictures of cercospora leaf spot, which may be your problem: http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pests/plant_pests/shrubs/hgic2050.html

This could be a number of things--too little or too much water, over fertilizing, leaf scorch (if planted in too much sun), etc. It may help to prune the plants to help rejuvenate it. This article has more information: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/what-causes-brown-edges-on-leaves-of-plant.htm