Dutch Iris overwintered in pots?

The directions say plant 2-3" deep and 2-3" apart.... but I'd like to overwinter in pots, not forcing just over wintering -- I ordered about 400 and forgot until they showed up, and I don't have a bed ready... by a long stretch. So...

CAN they be overwintered in pots in a protected location?

How MANY can I put in a 6" wide gallon pot? In other words, can I crowd them a bit?

(And silly me, I expected rhizomes like Tall Bearded Iris, not bulbs )

That's a lot of Dutch Iris!

I would think they could be overwintered in pots, but I can't say for sure... I know there are folks over in the Bulbs forum who regularly pot up bulbs and leave them outside (somewhat protected) or in the garage over the winter, and it seems to me that they did crowd the pots a bit, but I don't remember if anybody mentioned Dutch Iris specifically.

Since this is more of a bulb question than an iris question, I'm thinking you might get a better response to your question over on the bulb forum. Sorry I couldn't be of more help, but there are some real experts over there!