It will probably be okay. Where exactly do you live (i.e. climate zone, night temperatures)?

You should consider replanting in a larger container.

Plus, what exactly do you mean by "falling over"?

Mulch to encourage root growth. But do not bury the stem.

Wild rhododendrons in the Sino-Himalayan region get tipped over by avalanches and keep growing. So when the environmental conditions are generally suitable suddenly ending up on their sides does not stop them. However if your cultivated plant went over in the first place because of something like honey fungus or root rot diminishing the root system that is a different situation.

Thank you for your responses. I live in Oregon zone 8. Used to be zone 7. The rhoadie is healthy but 25 years old.. The weight of the ice toppled the plant. I found it laying on its side. The rootball was exposed.
Do you think I should trim the branches so that there is a smaller canopy to match the smaller root base? The information about roadies in Sino-Himalayan region gives me hope. I will add mulch. Thank you for helping.

we need some pix ...

im not sure i would call a 25 year old shrub that falls over due to a minimum root mass.. healthy ...

you say nothing about pots.. but so cal says it needs to be repotted.. then you talk about mulch ... is it in the ground.. or in a pot??? .. pix can clear this .. and much more ... up ..

your plant has problems... but im not sure i would start with decapitation .. aka topping it.. as the base solution .. we need to figure out why it doesnt have a root mass ... so maybe it is potted... im so confused.. i need more coffee

ken

When I had the same combination of 25 years in place and significant snowfall happen with a couple different kinds of shrubs one year it turned out they were terribly rootbound from having been left in small pots early in the lives of the specimens. As in looking like turnips when dug out. So next you should look at your rhododendron to see if the root system consists to a large extent of a fist or knot like configuration that is no longer able to support the weight of the top. If that is the case you may have to stake it permanently in order to keep it upright going forward. With a continued otherwise satisfactory appearance being based on the assumption that there is not a root destroying pathogen at work. Or tightly bound roots that are going start to girdling the plant at some point.

The plant is limbed up, in the ground, and on a slope.I believe it fell over because the ground softened in the thaw and the extra ice weight tipped it over. I have applied the mulch and realize the stakes may be permanent. When the rootball was exposed, I didn't see anything abnormal. I really appreciate your help. Sorry for any confusion on the details. This was my first post. Cheers!