Really, none of the natural finishes will outlast any good 100% acrylic paint. When someone insists on "natural", I "faux paint" it in the correct colours for the species. All softwoods have similar grain patterns.
When I started making signs 22 years ago, someone told me that Sikkens Cetol was the way to go. Well, 3 years of our Canadian summers & the stuff was shot. And, it was nasty to remove, I learned to faux-paint!