Two vivid demonstrations of this are albino trees that grow despite having no chlorophyll of their own, and living tree stumps - the stump scars over, yet never grows branches of its own, because it is fused to a sibling nearby. I’ve seen pictures of both, but have only seen the latter in person.
Players can only grow their plants or spread seeds in spaces that receive light. Plants obscure light, the bigger the plant, the bigger the shadow area. The sun moves around the board each turn. All this means some very simple rules lead to some wonderfully complex emergent gameplay, where you’re trying to time actions against the sun’s movement to maximise light intake, while having to deal with other player’s actions unpredictably altering the patterns of shade.
Many people use a variety of chemicals to hold weeds at bay. But a well watered lawn that is regularly fortified with organic nitrogen and kept at a decent length will more or less prevent most weeds from establishing. Many people cut their lawn way too short, removing the grasses advantage.