Snowdrops are a beautiful addition to the garden, one of the first of the Spring bulbs to appear, they do prefer a shady area but will quite happily grow in an open area, in the wild they are usually found in woodland or sheltered areas. Snowdrops can actually be quite difficult to grow from bulb. I think this is because the bulbs when dormant can dry out really quickly, thus making them unviable to grow. However this being said, snowdrops can be bought cheaply from garden centres in pots, usually when they have flowered and not been sold. Reduced in price as they are not really sellable once they have flowered, plant them directly into the ground. These will come back next year and you can enjoy the flowers they produce. however very expensive. You could also get them from neighbours that have large patches, like most bulbs, they do need to be split after a few years. Plant swapping is always a good way to get new plants for free. Most gardeners will do this. 

Looking after Snowdrops is quite easy really, once they have flowered, just allow the foliage to die back naturally and that's it, little or no work is required to keep them happy. Once you have them they will keep coming back and spread, just every few years dig a few up once they have flowered and move some to a new spot, or even swop them with other gardeners, they will appear the following year.

There are many different varieties, some are however very expensive.