Question
QUESTION: I have read with great interest the recommendations for how to treat non-blooming rose plants. This is my 3rd season and although I see no signs of a bud, the plant has robust leaf growth, more so than lst year. If I haven't seen budding by now, does that mean I won't this season? The plant is about 3' taller than last year and appears to be very healthy, just bloomless! I am in northern New Jersey, an hour west of Manhattan.

ANSWER: Sometimes gardeners are being too kind to their rose plants and giving them lots of fertilizer which will encourage mainly green growth in the being. Most rose fertilizers are far too high in nitrogen and this acts las an electric shock forcing the rose into making fast green growth. Making green growth does put a strain on the rose so there isn't enough energy left to produce buds which takes the most out of a plant.
However although it is easy to blame the gardener,many times we should blame the budder. If the rose is budded onto another rose as the understock, should the bud used not be what they call viable, meaning fresh, then the rose bush will have a severe problem for the rest of it's life and not produce many blooms.
Finally if those two excuses don't fit, and because roses are like humans and are biologically program individually, it may just be  one of those roses that will not bloom until it has reached a certain height. If it is one of them, you will have to be careful in pruning it too hard as it will simply wait again until it grows to the right height to bloom.
Your rose sounds healthy to me  so give it time plus no more fertilizer for this year and you should see results.

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QUESTION: Thank you! Is plant food the same as fertilizer?

Answer
Yes it is. But so are banana peels, coffee grounds, egg shells etc. No matter what you put on a rose it will take it up and use it. So it doesn't have to be in a fancy package called rose food. Bear in mind the rose can't read. Just use some tough love on your rose and show it you are the boss and you want flowers not leaves. Next year because it is a strong grower, I wouldn't give it a lot of rose food, just one handful scattered all around the base, once in the spring and once in the middle of the summer. Water it well, especially if the summer gets hot and that is all it will need.