Originally Posted by pitangadiego
Generally, if you have freezing weather, you want to take the cuttings before they are exposed to freezing conditions, which could damage the wood/cuttings before they are taken. If they are dormant, now would be the time. If they are not dormant, you can strip the leaves, and in a week or so the remnants of the leaf stems should dessicate and fall off. Those remnants are easy entry point for mold, so you want to give them  a chance to fall off before taking the cuttings.