It won't harm anything, but the way you worded your question, with all the caveats, makes it difficult to answer your question,LOL!
If it has to be watered in by the rain, though not a heavy rain, I guess you could watch the weather you find the most reliable, and apply it just before a light rain. You could always scratch it in the soil. If your other fertilizer didn't get wet until nov you probably have plenty of that still left in the soil.
It might be easier this spring if you catch some water in a rain barrel, save it and use it next time you fertilize.

Or drag a garden hose around . . .

But one caveat -- you don't want to feed dry roses.

So, given that rain is a scarce visitor down here, when we use a granular fertilizer, we need to plan to water the roses before, and again after.

Time-release fertilizers are usually placed where water emitters will flow over the stuff.

Jeri

Thanks, Jeri and Len. I will try to lay it down before the rain is predicted, if I can. I do save some rainwater but use it mostly on house plants.
Kathy

Kathy, water rationing is a certainty in my areas (Marin and Sonoma counties). I cannot reasonably haul enough bath water to do enough good to warrant fertilizing much. So given the drought this year, I'm fertilizing very lightly. The soil is damp now because days and nights are cool. I expect I'll have to start watering in March. This will be a year for trying to keep my gardens alive. I am using nothing but organics this year, excluding manures, and no chemical ferts except for newly planted roses, which will get the full complement of amendments.

I'm with berndoodle.

Our only difference is that we have not had enough rain through the winter
to shut the watering system off at all.

Our garden, too, will be in "Survival Mode," and I thank God that the Teas and Chinas
won't mind that much.

Jeri