好む: human preferences and a plant's growing conditions
Read the subject and object of 好む to distinguish preferred reading from suitable growing conditions. A preference does not establish a completed activity or a conscious choice by a plant.
A preferred activity and its setting
好む（このむ） means to like or prefer. 祖父は静かな場所で読書することを好む。 says that the grandfather likes reading in quiet places.
読書すること names the preferred activity, while 静かな場所で gives its setting. The sentence does not say that he compared particular places, chose one, or finished a book.
A plant as the subject
この植物は日当たりの良い土を好んで育つ。 describes this plant as preferring sunny soil as it grows. 好んで is the form of 好む used within the sentence.
With a plant as the subject, the preference expresses suitable growing conditions. It does not describe the plant inspecting soil, making a conscious choice, or experiencing a human emotion.
Keep the subject and the preference together
祖父 and この植物 are different subjects. The first example names a person's preferred activity and setting; the second connects a plant with suitable conditions. The shared translation prefer does not make them the same kind of decision.
好む expresses a preference. Completing the reading or choosing a new location would require separate information about those actions.
Does この植物は日当たりの良い土を好んで育つ。 describe the plant consciously selecting soil?
Show the answer and why
No. It uses the plant as the subject to describe suitable growing conditions. Do not turn the preference into a human decision-making action.