Q: I have a large planting of Formosa azaleas which normally produce beautiful flowers but this year is different. Many of the buds did not produce flowers. In addition, most of the buds that did produce flowers this year are pale in color and the lower petals are faded.
A: In my experience it looks exactly like cold damage. Big-leafed Formosa azaleas are more likely to be damaged by cold that other types of azalea. If you had a light frost just before bloom, that would explain the situation.
If your plants seem otherwise healthy, leave them alone and hope for better weather next spring.