While I may know the names of all of the fruit trees in my yard, my wife and children don’t, and friends and family who visit certainly don’t. So I started drawing the names of my trees on pieces of wood that I then stuck into the ground with metal stakes. They looked decent. But check out that sign for my Gwen avocado above. That is way beyond decent.
My brother and sister-in-law are very crafty and they’ve been making and selling wood items for years, so I asked if they could craft up a real tree sign. Give us an idea of what you want, they said. I sent them a photo of this sign I’d drawn for my Gold Nugget mandarin:
They used my photo and their laser cutter to create this:
I sent another photo of a sign I’d drawn for my Pinkerton avocado tree:
And they made this:
Because the script is cut into the wood rather than drawn on it, it will remain legible forever, unlike the ones I’d made with a marker. The cedar wood that they made the signs with have been weathering beautifully over the last year in my yard.
Thicker metal rods stake these signs into the ground compared to the ones I had used, and no kids or dogs or hoses have been able to knock them out of place. These signs are the best!
So my brother, Matt, and sister-in-law, Cheryl, made a few signs to place in front of their fruit trees. And we were all enjoying them when it occurred to us that no one else makes signs like these. I’ve visited many yards and even public gardens that have signs under their trees which don’t do their job quite as well.
These signs are four by six inches, and so are visible from quite a distance. And rather than plastic, they’re made of untreated wood that is as natural as the mulch beneath the trees. Yet! . . . the longevity should be sufficient considering that cedar is used, and since the script is carved deeply and the wood is a full inch thick. I’ve seen zero warping in my signs.
Watch this video of some signs being made:
We should offer to make them for others, I said. By “we” I meant Matt and Cheryl, of course.
They agreed and have added the signs to their repertoire at GivenWood. Any of us can now give them the name of a fruit tree, choose a special font if we want, and get the coolest sign delivered to our doorstep.
Click HERE to go to Matt and Cheryl’s GivenWood fruit-tree sign page where you can see more examples of signs as well as details about ordering.
Hi Greg love the idea, I clicked on the link and it said sorry item not available? I couldn’t find any contact info either. I’d like to order or at least get pricing. Any other contact info you may have to make an order for tree signs? Thanks!
Hi Greg!
Love your blog and these signs are stunning. For days now I have been trying to figure out how do you secure the rebar to the wood? Please enlighten me. Thank you
Hi Jessica,
Thanks! Drill a hole in the wood and then screw in the rebar (which should be the threaded type).
Thank you so much for your quick response. I am still missing one step 😭.
I got a threaded rebar but there needs to be a loop or an attachment piece to it so I can secure it onto the hole I made in the wood. Right now I only have a stick and a piece of wood with a hole in.
What is that attachment that you have on the rebar?
Could you send the picture of the back?
Thank you so much!
Jessica