After it finishes its current bloom cycle, I personally would prune the 3 main canes down to about 3 feet tall. The will slow down the next bloom cycle, but I prefer blooms no higher than my nose myself.

I would also get either some alfalfa meal (or pellets or cubes) or one of the --Tone fertilizers (Plant-Tone, Rose-Tone, or Holly-Tone). The --Tones have some alfalfa mixed into the bag, and are easier to find than the alfalfa meal/cubes which you would have to buy in 50 lb bags at a grain feed store, although the straight alfalfa would be better. Alfalfa often stimulates new cane growth, which is what you would really like. Roses usually bloom better on newer canes. Spread the --Tone or alfalfa around the base of the rose out to the drip line and water in well with your hose nozzle turned on to a stiff spray.

In about a month, you should see new growth and then some buds starting to form.

In the future, do that severe pruning in the late winter-very early spring if it is needed. In fact, it wouldn't hurt the rose to be pruned that much every spring if you want a shorter rose.

Are you losing the lowers leaves due to blackspot disease? Peace is known for being susceptible to blackspot. A fungicide spray will help with that, but you will have to decide whether or not you want to use fungicides. If so, I recommend Bayer Advanced Disease Control for Roses, Flowers, Shrubs--buy it at Lowes or online. You will need to buy a small spraying unit to go with it--Lowes should have one. If not, Home Depot definitely does--about $20, if I remember correctly.

Back to pruning, one thing you can do every couple years in the early spring is prune one of those main canes down as low as you can--pick an old greyish-brown one with "barklike" texture on it. That, plus some alfalfa, should stimulate new cane growth--which is what you want.

Peace is a BIG-BLOOMING and beautiful rose--one of my favorites. Let us know how it goes with yours.

Kate

You should prune it down to about 2/3rds its height in the spring after the last frost. Pruning it hard will cause it to produce more basal branches (big branches from the bottom) thus creating a fuller bush and more blooms. It will also keep the height in check. If you live in a frost free environment you can prune it any time but try not to prune it in the dead heat of summer. Also giving it good soil and fertilizer will help it to produce more basal canes during the growing season as well, not just after pruning. Check what other rosarians have done in your area in terms of fertilizing and amending the soil. When in doubt Rose Tone (an organic fertilizer for roses) has always done well for me. Just follow the directions on the bag. Miracle grow rose fertilizer is also good but Scotts is a controversial company (they sold poisoned bird feed knowingly for over two years). Miracle grow will get you faster results but may burn your rose if not used properly so beware. Any good bloom fertilizer will work as well but don't use regular fertilizers high in nitrogen or you may get a lot of leaf production and not many flowers.
Good luck!

Hi sunflowers, I'd give your Peace two cups of alfalfa horse pellets (not the alfalfa pellets intended for rabbits/guinea pigs, those contain salt -- go to a feed store and get horse pellets) and water, water, water. The combination of alfalfa and LOTS of water should produce some new canes from the base. Next spring, you can shorted everything to about three feet and your bush will look 'bushier'. HTs tend to be lanky, but you want to encourage new basal canes each year.

Then you're left with about twenty pounds of alfalfa horse pellets in the bag (twenty pounds minus two cups). You can use the alfalfa to fertilize your lawn, veggies, flower beds, etc. Scatter it to lightly cover the soil surface, don't get too generous or you can burn plants. Good luck!

Thank you so much everyone. I really appreciate it. Going to make a trip to the feed store for some alfalfa horse pellets and then get something for the fungus. Yes I do get a lot of black spots on the leaves. None of my other rose bushes get them. Just this peace rose. I just checked it a bit ago and 2 of the 3 canes are dead. Just nearly black so I cut them all the way down. The center of those canes were brown. Don't know what happened but only one of the canes looks good now. That one cane is still nice and green like a green apple and is as thick as my thumb. This one rose bush has always baffled me. Thanks for all of your help everyone. Again I appreciate it.