My Rose of sharon is very full and looks beautiful, however it is bent over. It has never happened before. I staked it up but I have never seen one do that before.
Right now, your Althea is weighted down with buds and flowers. Heavy rain adds even more weight to the branches and they flop. Some pruning can help create a sturdier structure and the time to prune will right after the current bloom cycle ends in a few weeks. Here’s a link that includes pruning tips for your Althea.