In “spring caused the herbs to grow,” the growing of vegetation is a real event, and spring is closely associated with it. But treating the season as an independent ultimate agent may not be valid in the relevant philosophical or theological respect.
The meaning of the verb and the identity of the attributed agent must therefore be two distinct questions. If “caused to grow” keeps its established meaning, the transfer may be in attribution; if the verb itself changes sense, lexical analysis is needed.
The important rule is that figurative attribution does not automatically entail figurative word meaning.