The easiest type for home gardeners to try and the one expanded upon here, are softwood cuttings. Softwood cuttings are taken from the growing tips of deciduous trees, shrubs or perennials. These growing tips have a greater ability to produce roots and new tissue than the older stems. As youths heal quickly from injury, juvenile growing tips of plants will regenerate themselves rapidly. The timing will vary from plant to plant, year to year and location to location.
Plants vary in the speed and ease in which they root from cuttings.
Many house plants or tender annuals are commonly rooted by simply placing the cut off portions in a jar of water. For others, timing and methods are critical. You'll have the greatest success when cuttings are made after leaf expansion and prior to flower bud development. At this time, the energy generated from photosynthesis can be diverted from flower or leaf production into root growth. If the plant is in a state of flower production, it is less likely to have the capacity to generate roots.